If you put Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Jason Takes Manhattan into a blender and added a pinch of Under Siege, Venom Coast would resemble something of the concoction that would result. As far as newer microbudget horror films go, it certainly ranks above average and features one of the most grotesque rogues' galleries of killers seen in a long time. Speaking of kills, the victims in this movie are dispatched in creative and gory ways with some very noteworthy practical effects on display.
Venom Coast is recommended for fans of the new breed of films commonly referred to as the "people of privilege suffer" genre seen in such recent movies as Infinity Pool, The Menu, and to an extent, the two as of this date produced Knives Out films. Not recommended for viewers who might have a penchant to feel superior to their material as a lot of the onscreen victims do make horrible decisions to their detriment in this film, but it's way too easy make an assertion that one would come out better than the characters from a position of seated armchair comfort. By far the biggest flaw that comes about in the film is the ending. Without saying much, things get messy for some of the characters involved in the story on account of a major mistake they make, but it comes off as a missed opportunity with how it is dealt with in the script. Instead of further addressing the moral complications of said mistake and fleshing out the ending with a bit more conflict and drama, the film takes a much easier route which is a bit of a shame. All in all though, Venom Coast is well made and highly entertaining. If you want a good old school popcorn slasher movie, it delivers.
