The Fearway

How can you screw something up with such a great location?

Two words: Script. Acting.

The woman playing the waitress - while attractive - should never act again. At least not on the screen or in front of a theater audience. The subpar- Twilight Zone type of a script leads much to be desired. Seek out any of Rod Serling's original series over this badly mishandled dreck. This was way too talky. Less is more. We didn't need to hear half of the foolish words the lead actors were muttering.

The villain was idiotic. The scene with him growling in his car and "magically" hurling lightning bolts on the telephone wires was handled in such a goofy, amateurish way I almost turned off the set right then and there.

Easy pass. Please skip. Watch Spielberg's "Duel" if you want to see an excellent film about a person escaping a crazed motorist on a desert highway.

The Fearway is the feature length debut from fledgling director Robert Gajic.

It tells the story of a young, soon to be newlywed, couple, who find themselves caught in a loop, surrounded by a handful of seemingly malevolent characters- not all of of which mean to do them harm- while traveling down an isolated stretch of Highway 66.

While trapped in this bizarre experience, they find themselves being chased down by a demonic looking man, driving a black muscle car.

From whom they can't seem to escape.

Their only moments of respite come when they pull off at the Last Chance Rest Stop...where they meet a number of other odd characters.

Eventually, they do manage to put the pieces together, and figure out what is happening to them.

Leaving them to fight for a final chance to escape, what would otherwise be a grim fate.

Unfortunately the acting is pretty mid across the board.

While the storyline is a bit too predictable.

Making the whole experience a bit underwhelming.

But, with that being said...it's a valiant attempt at a first feature.

With some decent moments of cinematography.

Though certainly a film you won't be disappointed with if you miss.

2.5 out of 10.

The movie is an amateurish way to copy several movies like Reeker or Jeepers Creepers. But in a bad way. The movie looks extremely cheap and the script is non existent. The ending is a joke. Nothing new here or interesting.

Is it a good movie? No it is not. Is it entertaining? No, it is predictable. Why the three stars? I really enjoyed watching the Joshua Tree National park settings and the main actress does a good job here. The other one is a tip. A tip because I love independent B cinema.

So, if you're looking for a similar movie I recommend instead of this one, the movie Reeker. More creepy, better Fx's, more original and with more or less the same budget.

Slobodan Gajic's The Fearway attempts to deliver a supernatural thriller with elements that feel like a nod to Stephen King's mysterious style and echoes of the series From. While the concept of being trapped in an infinite time loop has its inherent intrigue, this film falls short in execution.

The acting is notably bad, with performances that lack depth and fail to engage the viewer emotionally. The plot is far too predictable, making the "twists" feel telegraphed and lacking impact. If you're hoping for surprises, you won't find them here.

That said, the film's simplicity and short runtime (a brisk 81 minutes) work to its advantage. It's a "sit back, expect nothing, and enjoy" kind of movie, provided you're willing to forgive its shortcomings. But for those not into time loops or seeking richer storytelling, skipping The Fearway might be the better option.

Ultimately, it's a film that doesn't demand much from its audience, which can be a double-edged sword. If you're curious and looking for something light, give it a shot. Otherwise, there's little to miss here.

My problem with "Fearway" is not the fact that it is super-low budget, which affects the sub-par casting, sound effects and camera work; it is the lack of attention to details in the story. Couple of examples: unmatching license plates on the front and back of the car. Car being brand new (probably a rental, still have "no smoking" stickers on it) yet the boyfriend refers to it as "it took me a long time to pay for it", the police tells the girl "you and your boyfriend" although she never mentions she has a boyfriend and that doesn't seem weird to her, etc, etc. With all these add up it is very hard to get engaged in the story. Another goof is when they stopped at the side of the road he says "we should call your dad tel him we'll be late" but they have not even decided to even take a break at that point. It basically looks like it was filmed over a weekend with no second takes, whatever made it in the edits - stayed.

The movie keeps dragging along to the point where the big reveal at the end should be completely shocking in order to make it worthwhile, but alas- it is not. It is not scary at all and the overall scenes are disappointing in the sense that they are all flat, somewhat even laughable. The acting is mediocre at best all-around and the casting of the main actors is completely off, they don't look and act the part. If you are expecting a "Jeepers Creepers" vibe movie you will be highly disappointed. It is a big bore-fest.

It will be hard for me to recommend this movie to anyone. Not even good enough to show students, since it cannot even give pointers to new actors or directors, that's the level of badness this firms at. I give 2 stars for the story, since it is a nice idea, which could be made a lot better under the hands of a better crew. There are not many redeeming qualities on this one. I rarely give anything less than 4 stars but in this case it is really does not worth anybody's time. For the writer/director - please give more attention to details next time so people at least see that you cared, otherwise it is just insulting to both you and the audience.