Don't Go to the Reunion (2013)
Starring: Stephanie Leigh Rose, Spencer Harlan, Mike Goltz
Writer: Kevin Sommerfield
Director: Steve Goltz
Story:
A high school horror movie loving outcast gets pranked by
the popular kids, which lands him in some trouble. Ten years
later, it’s class reunion time for the cool gang, but someone else is at the
party and wants a little retribution.
What we have here is a neat little slasher flick with more
homages to yesteryear than I can count. What’s most admirable about this is
that a lot of the nods go towards horror films that don’t get as much love as
the heavy hitters. Sure, Madman gets talked about by the die hard slasher fans
on the net, but how many times do you see it referenced in a movie? Don’t Go to
the Reunion is a lover letter to the past, and the fact that it was made for
about $18,000 is pretty damn mind-boggling to me.
Kevin Sommerfield’s writing is on point in terms of pacing,
and it’s immediately obvious that the dude knows his shit when it comes to
slasher classics. I don’t want to give a whole lot away, but I can say that
this is mostly one of those ‘root for the killer’ horror films, for sure, as
characters with redeeming qualities are fucking scarce. But hey, this makes
sense if ya think about it. Hell, even in movies like Friday the 13th
part whatever, how often were you NOT cheering Jason on?
Don’t Go to the Reunion is shot well, and I got along with the
cinematography quite nicely. Even a scene as simple as a girl taking a smoke
break lakeside at dusk looks fucking beautiful, with all kinds of nifty angle
changes closing in on her. The death scenes are awesome, and the quick glimpses
of our pissed off killer look sweet. Really dig the black gloves scenes, too.
If there’s one thing working against the movie, I think it’s
a few of the performances. I’m not saying anyone is particularly bad; a better
word would be stiff. We’re spending a lot of time with this group in between
the carnage, and there’s some instances where I was kinda taken out of the
story because the interaction didn't feel natural. I know we’re talking
horror slasher here, and I love bad acting, but that's the problem. Bad
acting is awesome; stiff acting is a letdown. There’s definitely some
standouts, though. For one, Nick Sommer does a helluva good job at portraying
an obnoxious asshole drunk. Trust me, I've been around plenty of obnoxious
asshole drunks, and have even been one myself a few times, and this dude nails
it.
I can’t give away too much when talking about the
bloodletting of Don’t Go to the Reunion, but it’s pretty freakin’ awesome. It’s
a good mix of stuff that looks authentic, stuff that’s absolutely ridiculous,
and there’s some things that are left to the imagination, and I am a fan of all 3
aspects. An 80s slasher fan will most likely get a kick out of this element. I
definitely did.
Another positive and something that really brings in the old
school aspect is the music. This shit is filled to the brim with the synthy
stuff, and it’s catchy as hell.
Final Word:
So, we don’t have a perfect movie here by any means, but it’s
a pretty good time. You can tell that Steve Goltz and Kevin Sommerfield had fun
making it, and that’s important. When the blood, sweat, and tears of filmmakers
bleed through to what they are creating, it makes it that much more enjoyable.
I’d sum Don’t Go to the Reunion up as a fun party movie. Something that would be a
blast with a group of friends, chips, dip, and beer. Looking forward
to where Slasher Studios takes us next.
- Brobocop Entering Sleep Mode
