5ive Must Die

Clearly the producers didn't have a lot of money, but they make the best of it for a fun movie. There is a gnawing creep factor as they go further and further into the asylum even as the blizzard outside gets worse. There obviously will be no help for them. The acting, music, sound effects, and camerawork far better then most indie horror flicks. Heck, they're better then some "real" Hollywood pennydreadfuls.

The director was wise enough not to try and stretch the story to 2 hours, perhaps the worst sin committed by most modern movies. It's short and sweet, gets to the point, and is legitimately scary at points. Definitely worth a watch. Best of all? It's not a sequel!

Okay, to begin with, its an indie film. Once you realise its not a film created by a massive studio etc, you can then start to get into the film. What I noticed straight away, was the credits as the film starts. Its very rare to see the boom operator getting a mention at the beginning. Also, the majority of extras, crew etc are of the Palmer/Vincent families, you will see this in the credits. Now, the film. There are quite a few close ups that are to make the shock value, and the professor I liked, his role was pretty decent. The girl was bit flaky with the performance, but what the hell. Also, the worst storm in a century? Not sure about that. Saying all the above, the story line was interesting, you get to find out more as it goes along. The killings are okay, nothing too gory. I kind of liked it, except for that girl, who I was waiting with baited breath for her timely demise.

Location, location, location! Isn't that what they say? Well, wherever they shot this flick was a great location. The atmosphere was claustrophobic and I felt boxed in for the majority of the film. A huge plus is that this movie wasn't stretched out to "indie" proportions and left to do what it had to do in ample time so that the effect was powerful and long-lasting. The acting was above average, and actually, really good for an indie. The story was engaging, and production was exceptional, especially given what they had. The only reason I didn't go higher than 7 was because there were a few stupid things that happen all the time in these types of movies:

1. "Okay, let's split up and cover more ground." STUPID!

2. I have gun. I am going to need it, but I got scared, dropped it on the ground, and ran away. Now I have no protection, and the killer is right my tail.

STUPID!

3. "I see a way out of this mess. I am halfway there, but I am going to turn around and go back because I am curious as to what the killer looks like." STUPID!

-1 for each stupid move = 7/10.