IMDb RATING
4.9/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
A lesbian couple with a rocky relationship go to a pre-wedding retreat and end up fighting for their lives when a group of militant serial killers tries to murder them.A lesbian couple with a rocky relationship go to a pre-wedding retreat and end up fighting for their lives when a group of militant serial killers tries to murder them.A lesbian couple with a rocky relationship go to a pre-wedding retreat and end up fighting for their lives when a group of militant serial killers tries to murder them.
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- 1 win & 4 nominations total
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Summary
Reviewers say 'The Retreat' delves into homophobia and LGBTQ+ relationships, featuring protagonists battling homophobic antagonists. Criticisms include poor lighting, a generic plot, and weak scares. Positives are the performances, especially Tommie-Amber Pirie's acting, and brutal killing scenes. The film's pace and tension are mixed, with some finding it engaging and others mundane. The ending is divisive, with varied opinions on its resolution.
Featured reviews
Far too dark for my liking, even with brightness up full you can hardly see what is going on, not that any of it is particularly interesting.
Becomes a bit formulaic and a bit woke-ish too but acting was competent. Uninventive kills with no visceral gore like they are trying to tone it down these days - would be rated a bit of a 15 cert or even a PG in my book!
Below average 4 hatchets this time round the kill-lberry bush!
Becomes a bit formulaic and a bit woke-ish too but acting was competent. Uninventive kills with no visceral gore like they are trying to tone it down these days - would be rated a bit of a 15 cert or even a PG in my book!
Below average 4 hatchets this time round the kill-lberry bush!
I wish it lasted a bit longer. It's not anything we haven't seen before but it was executed properly, what do you want more from this sub-genre?
Protagonists are very likable, especially Renee. Humor is present occasionally but isn't forced. I wish it had the same directorial angle as in the second half of the movie because the first half is kinda messy.
One of the negatives is that it's way too dark during some scenes in first half of the film, I watched it on highest resolution in complete darkness and still couldn't see what was going on.
Soundtrack is good, it adds to some already good scenes. Pace is tailored for its duration. Granted, characters haven't always made the smartest decisions (during the first half) but then again it's a slasher.
The ending was super enjoyable and gave me chills. 6/10.
Protagonists are very likable, especially Renee. Humor is present occasionally but isn't forced. I wish it had the same directorial angle as in the second half of the movie because the first half is kinda messy.
One of the negatives is that it's way too dark during some scenes in first half of the film, I watched it on highest resolution in complete darkness and still couldn't see what was going on.
Soundtrack is good, it adds to some already good scenes. Pace is tailored for its duration. Granted, characters haven't always made the smartest decisions (during the first half) but then again it's a slasher.
The ending was super enjoyable and gave me chills. 6/10.
Alyson Richards' script tells the story of a young lesbian couple who want to reignite the passion in their relationship by going to an off grid retreat in a remote part of Ontario. Instead of finding a long weekend of lovemaking, the couple is captured by a group of homophobic survivalists who make money showing their bloody torture acts on the web.
As far as the horror goes, the plot is just a variation of 100 other movies where city dwellers fall into the hands of insane hillbillies. The couple is suffering from the same "need a way back to each other" dynamic they do in all these films. In this case, the hillbillies have a special kind of hate, but they aren't much different than the one in the other movies.
What's different is how angry the women are at the people who attacked them. They don't really want to be rescued by the police. They want to waste the monsters and leave the world a safer place. What's also different is how uniting against the common enemy reunites the women, and makes them a stronger couple.
This movie is about the needless political attacks on the LGBTQ community, and the legacy of pain and anger it leaves. The whole point of the movie is that the women are made stronger by uniting and vanquishing the threat.
As a horror movie, it's mediocre and made on a shoestring. The lighting is so dark it's hard to watch on a tv and the scares aren't very scary. The scares aren't really there to scare the viewer anyway.
As a political statement, the scares just make the viewer angry, which is what Richards wants. She is telling the world that there are lots of people who would cheer for the deaths of LGBTQ people. She wants the world to know "homophobia" is a nice word for "hate." She doesn't believe LGBTQ people are safe as long as homophobia exists, and she is right about it,
As far as the horror goes, the plot is just a variation of 100 other movies where city dwellers fall into the hands of insane hillbillies. The couple is suffering from the same "need a way back to each other" dynamic they do in all these films. In this case, the hillbillies have a special kind of hate, but they aren't much different than the one in the other movies.
What's different is how angry the women are at the people who attacked them. They don't really want to be rescued by the police. They want to waste the monsters and leave the world a safer place. What's also different is how uniting against the common enemy reunites the women, and makes them a stronger couple.
This movie is about the needless political attacks on the LGBTQ community, and the legacy of pain and anger it leaves. The whole point of the movie is that the women are made stronger by uniting and vanquishing the threat.
As a horror movie, it's mediocre and made on a shoestring. The lighting is so dark it's hard to watch on a tv and the scares aren't very scary. The scares aren't really there to scare the viewer anyway.
As a political statement, the scares just make the viewer angry, which is what Richards wants. She is telling the world that there are lots of people who would cheer for the deaths of LGBTQ people. She wants the world to know "homophobia" is a nice word for "hate." She doesn't believe LGBTQ people are safe as long as homophobia exists, and she is right about it,
Well acted; the only one I knew was Aaron Ashmore. They all did a good job. Violent and visceral, over the top protagonists, and a proper ending. The theme is a little wokeish. My only gripe is we now seem to be in a PC age where the victims never let loose, giving pain to the baddies; they are often dispatched painlessly and quick ( I want revenge to be seen ) IE the remake of I Spit on your grave, and similar. It did what it said on the tin and kept my attention.
I liked it, it was very typical though nothing we haven't seen before or something special I have seen films just like this a million times. But it had some tension in it and it was really enjoyable to spend my time I think it deserves to be watched at least once.
Did you know
- GoofsAbout 12 minutes into the movie, the girls get a flat tire. All the tires in the car appear to be regular tires, yet a few moments later, having changed the tire, the thin spare is being put in the trunk and a full size tire is fitted on the car. Those thin tires are temporary tires for emergency use only and definitely would not have been the tire on the car at the time of the flat tire.
- SoundtracksLittle Boxes
Written by Steph Copeland and Freek Van Workum
Performed by Steph Copeland and Freek Van Workum
- How long is The Retreat?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 22m(82 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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