The Eves (2012) Online

I enjoy renting low-budget horror films. If they're not scary (and they usually aren't) then they're sometimes good for a laugh. When I rented The Eves last weekend I definitely thought it was going to be no exception. An attractive group of college kids stranded at a dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere is definitely something I've seen a thousand times.

However, this film surprised me for several reasons. The twist ending was nicely executed and kept me engaged. Also, the filmmakers took a lot of time developing each character and their strained relationships at the outset. As a result, the pacing is a little slow in the beginning but when things begin to unfold and the mystery of what is happening presents itself, it really does draw you in. After watching the film once I zipped through it again and found clues I hadn't noticed or picked up on during my first viewing.

There wasn't as much blood and gore as I prefer but the third act is very violent and quite creepy as the film mixes religion and violence giving it a Southern Gothic tone. The performances were all very good. Overall, I'd recommend this film as it definitely stands apart from other low-budget horror films.

"The Eves" is an entertaining modern backwoods/road horror film. It is a nightmare scenario that is a dark, thrilling journey into cruelty and psychotica that seems totally Americana. "The Eves" is a film I will be watching again-especially during the Halloween season. There is something truly terrifying about psychotic young people!

The story takes the road horror into grindhouse territory effortlessly. The innocent trip that turns into a fight for survival against homicidal madman shows strongly in "The Eves". There is a period in the beginning that gets a bit old with the "ooh you scared me bit" which really set me into the notion that I was not gonna like this flick. However from the first real scare, that results in the kick-off to the horror show, the film pulled me in. The blunt cruelty of the antagonist, against the helpless victims offers a disturbing sense of realness that hooks you in. I found the cast to be apt in bringing these characters to life, creating a strong, well executed story. Plus with the intense, brutality of the last act, "The Eves" becomes a chilling survival nightmare.

The special effects, suspenseful build-up, and over all darkness of 'The Eves" creates a steady, even-paced intensity the feels natural and "at times" cringe worthy. The director does a great job working the cast, and scene direction so that kill scenes look genuine. It is above low budget quality really. The sound effects, and overall ability of the film to keep a strong foreboding atmosphere never falls flat. If it wasn't for the slow, annoying start to the film, with way to many "fake scare" moments, then this film would be flawless. Still the second and third act make up for that unnecessary exuberance.

Getting stranded while on a road-trip, a group of friends follow the advice of a local to stay at a supposedly-abandoned shack in the woods, only to find it's actually the home to a group of demented, devout religious followers intent on saving them from their sins, forcing them into a deadly struggle to survive.

For the most part, this is an absolutely generic slasher in every sense of the word, as the fact that the twisted, warped views on religion provide so many agonizing moments of stupidity to come forth that it alone amounts for nearly all the film's problems right there, then take into account that it follows a time-honored tradition of a group of friends getting stranded in the woods and the locals with a hidden agenda that just seems so common a set-up that, by not doing anything radically different here, it tends to feel very clichéd and repetitive after a while. Added together with the very slow and drawn-out beginning here and it's got a lot to overcome. There's some nice brutality in the kills and the treatment of the prisoners in a dark, intense second half filled with more confrontations and encounters that does go some way toward redeeming this one, but all that religious stuff really can't be overcome and drags this down a lot, for there's not a lot that really overcomes a flaw like that.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and Brief Nudity.

Released in 2012, "The Eves" is a backwoods slasher flick about group of college students on route to celebrate Spring Break on the Texas coast; they find themselves stuck in the middle of nowhere after their vehicle breaks down whereupon they seek succor at a rundown hunting ranch. Havoc ensues.

While this is a micro-budget flick, it's competently made with decent actors and some spooky backwoods ambiance. Unfortunately, the first hour is just too slow and the characters aren't interesting enough to hold one's attention, neither is their mundane situation hanging out at the ranch. Speaking of which, it's a cliché in low-budget horror movies to have characters waltz right into someone else's house when no one answers the door and make themselves at home, like it happens all the time. It's just eye-rolling and unbelievable. Wouldn't they be concerned about how the owner(s) will react when they arrive home and see a bunch of strangers hanging out in their house like they own it?

The three girls are okay at best; although there's one Barbie Doll girl, if that's your thang. They're pretty good actresses though, particularly the other two. The brunette's the best with her unique look.

The script's marred by a convoluted subplot about religious abuse and the corresponding nutjobs it produces. The details aren't flushed out enough and the movie's not interesting enough to go back and (try to) connect the dots. Still, "The Eves" is worth checking out if you like Friday the 13th-like slashers.

The film runs 85 minutes and was shot in Austin & Victoria, Texas.

GRADE: C

5 guys and 3 girls go on a trip on spring break. The vehicle overheats and they end up at an isolated hunting lodge. The film is similar to a cabin in the woods type of thing. There are personal relationships at work and people getting killed.

This is a run of the mill type of slasher film.

Parental Guide: Sex and Nudity (Corrie Loftin formerly of the Lingerie Football League)

Stop me if you've heard this one before: A group of college students en route to spring break find themselves in considerable jeopardy after their car breaks down nearby a rundown hunting lodge in the middle of nowhere. So far, so familiar, but fortunately director/co-writer Tyler Glodt keeps the hackneyed, yet still effective and engrossing story moving along at a snappy pace, crafts a reasonable amount of suspense and creepy atmosphere, delivers a satisfying smattering of gore and one nice pair of bare breasts, draws the characters with some depth, and manages to come up with a couple of decent twists for the harrowing last third. Moreover, the acceptable acting by a game no-name cast keeps the picture on track, with especially solid work from Matthew Albrecht as the righteous Matthew, Cathy Baron as the catty Nicky, Stewart W. Calhoun as the awkward Paul, Amelia Meyers as the brash Yvette, Micah Sudduth as the unhinged Luke, Corrie Loftin as the sultry Lauren, and J.R. May as annoying smartaleck Trevor. Thomas Bango's crisp widescreen cinematography provides a pleasing polished look. However, several irritating false scares and the general lack of originality knock this one down a few notches. Passable slasher fare.