[Midnight Movie]
Plot:A midnight showing of an early 1970's horror movie turns to chaos when the Killer from the movie comes out of the film to attack those in the theater.

Cast:Rebekah Brandes, Daniel Bonjour, Greg Cirulnick, Stan Ellsworth, Mandell Maughan, Melissa Steach, Justin Baric, Jon Briddell, Michael Swan, Michael Schwartz, Brea Grant, Shaun Ausmus, Carol Stanzione, James Michael Mahoney, Kathryn Aagesen.

My Thoughts:Would've been better if the killer's weapon didn't suck.

Review:"Midnight Movie" is Jack Messitt's "stab"..at the slasher genre. The movie begins with an actor who's commited to an insane asylum. When the people there show him a film in which he starred in as the killer, the lights go out..and everyone dies. Fast-forward shortly later, a midnight screening is afoot, a screening of the film which he starred in. A cult slasher movie, and everyone in attendance is aware of the actors killing-spree, and of course there's the usual banter used to set up upcoming events with teenagers talking about how he might be there, and how gruesome the killings were, etc., etc. The thing is, after the mass murders at the mental clinic, the actor is now on the loose...and a cop who's obsessed with catching him shows up at the midnight screening thinking the killer/actor might show up there since it is after all, his starring work being shown. Soon the movie starts and so does the killing.

But for some reason...the film and the events on screen, seem to have somehow bled into reality, causing the people now trapped inside the theater to be subject to how the numerical deaths occur within the actual movie. Meaning that their fates are linked directly to the picture! Now they must figure out how to evade the killer and enter back into reality before he disposes of his final victim....which could be either one of them. "Midnight Movie" does have it's fair share of plotholes and rough script edges, but I give the movie a ton of credit for doing something atleast modestly new with the slasher genre, and making it interesting and fun to watch at the same time.

The killer himself is a pretty bad-ass looking dude, sporting a pair of overalls with a half-skull face mask. But the killers one big weakness? His weapon. Which really isn't something most slasher film killers struggle with because the weapon is always an axe, some model of knife, a machete, or some sort of clubbing object. But this killer uses a sharpened spring about the size of a large ice-cream cone. It looks a bit too big to be a bed spring, so my theory is it's some sort of spring-esque vehicle part. But either way, I felt it was a very lame weapon for such an awesome-looking killer.

He still manages to get the job done though, mostly because he surprises his victims. Breaking fre eof the usual stalk n' slash methods. This killer is more forward thinking and forward moving, going right at most of his victims instead of waiting for them to come to him. The characters are all pretty likeable, and Brea Grant (Heroes), makes an appearance as a slightly bitchy theater employee who gets hit on in on scene and doesn't take too kindly to it. Beyond her, there aren't really many familiar faces in the movie. But the characters, which include a teenage girl and her younger brother, a cult movie buff, and a biker and his "woman" among others...are for the most part tolerable in the overall big picture.

That's always a plus when talking about a subgenre of film where intolerable characters can really bring a picture down. The deaths are very gory in the picture, although they aren't filmed as well as they could be from a lighting perspective. I always have a problem with films that make the dark scenes too dark and make the dim scenes too dim. This movie has spots where that is indeed a problem, but as the movie goes on, it manages to right things as far as lighting is concerned.

One of the other weaknesses "Midnight Movie" has is the order of which they die, which basically means who dies early, sort of late, and then who ultimately makes it to the end. There's nothing surprising about any of the deaths, which kind of makes the movie...albeit a fun slasher film, a tad too predictable. If you've seen alot of slasher movies, or just have a penchant for being a good guesser when it comes to picking out early, middle, and late vitims of the psycho-killer in films like these...then you should have an easy time figuring out who will be the ultimate survivor or who will be left standing in the films intense finale.

And trust me when I say that, this films finale is very intense. However Messitt throws the viewer for a loop with the final scene as the last few survivors have a chance to escape, and you will be pretty surprised at how that all goes down when it's all said and done, and the local police show up late...as usual to sort all of this gruesome shit out. "Midnight Movie" is predictable in some areas, and gives the killer a weak instrument of death..but other than that it is a solid slasher movie that infuses some new blood (no pun intended), into the genre and will entertain for it's 80+ minute duration.

Positives:Lots of gory, bloody deaths, likeable characters, a very aggressive killer, interesting story, and a great finale.

Negatives:The killer had a weak weapon, and it's too easy to guess who lives and dies.

Overall:Three out of four stars.





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