Reaper

Boisterously entertaining, this low budget throwback slasher has bodacious hottie Natalie (Shayla Beesley) riskily hitch-hiking the dusty back roads scamming on lecherous creeps for their dough to dutifully pay mom's medical bills, and after she reluctantly accepts a ride with greasy sleazer salesman Bill (Jake Busey) they both fatefully end up at the ominously monikered 'Last Chance Hotel', a deliciously doomy locale, this heart-broken hotel amusingly replete with visibly disturbed, batso bonkers, bible-blathering, doom-auguring receptionist Caine (Justin Henry). The local news dramatically report the extraordinarily lurid details concerning the supernaturally revivified mass serial killer 'Reaper' allegedly continuing his murderous modus operandi of super-sanguineous sinner slaying from beyond the grave!

Director Philip Shih's splattery shocker provides electrifying scenes of sublime midnight movie madness as noble-hearted, machete-weilding drug mule Danny Trejo and the monstrously beleaguered guests of the bloodily besieged motel do desperate battle with the high-wattage, hell-fired 'Reaper'. Consistently compelling due to the engaging performances of a damn fine cast, with Trejo, Beesley, Henry, and Busey's boozy curb crawling creep all being far more nuanced protagonists than the usually drearily disposable knife fodder. 'Reaper' is one eminently diggable B-Horror, with pacey direction, a creepier-than-thou location, pluckier than average final girl, and this red-eyed, reprehensibly rampaging, riotously revenging Reaper is guaranteed to scythe his wanton way into the contemporary slasher pantheon! While I thoroughly enjoyed 'Reaper', I could have done without the ceaseless grimacing of ex-footie thug Vinnie Jones, a boorish amateur with all the subtlety of a sinkhole! 'Reaper' is a pleasingly gritty B-crime horror hybrid that references Renny Harlin's cult classic 'Prison'.

Danny Trejo is an actor I have long admired. From his smaller roles in masterpieces like "Heat" to his long-deserved go as a leading man in the campy but fun "Machete" films, he is a screen presence who is simultaneously intimidating but also somewhat relatable. Usually, he is relegated to playing a thug, criminal, ex-con, or just general bad guy, and rarely is he given the chance to pull in the audience emotionally. Rather, he's just the comic relief or the action set- piece.

That's why I was pleasantly surprised when I came across "Reaper" the other day and found that while he is still playing someone on the bad side of the law (a drug dealer, in this case), he is actually given the opportunity to be a compassionate, sympathetic, and ultimately heroic leading man. Hooray! Here, he is the only one in a band of criminals who are being terrorized by a supernatural force at a creepy motel is who not just self-motivated but also trying to help out the other two young baddies as well. He's the only one who doesn't try to take advantage of the main hitchhiker, and he gets a beautiful scene where he relays to her his regrets about his lost marriage, the child who doesn't see him anymore, and the life he wishes he had a chance to relive. He offers the most substance in a film which is otherwise lacking in it, and he delivers easily one of the best performances of his career.

That makes "Reaper" a MUST SEE for any true Trejo fan. The film itself starts off rocky and takes too long to introduce Trejo himself, but once it does, it gets rolling pretty nicely. The other two veteran actors, Jones and Busey, are in barely there roles but give some credit to the two young actors (hitchhiker and drug mule) for holding their own and helping Trejo carry the film.

While the film is far from perfect, it finally affords Trejo a role he deserves. As for the titular "reaper" monster, forget about him! The real force here is Trejo, and "Reaper" is his show.

I enjoyed it for what it was and who really listens to the "intellectualized" critics these days any way - for horror or any other genre. Many times they critique to hear themselves talk or be relevant - not to really review the movie for its entertainment value. I can name so many movies that critics loved and movie goers hated.

Bottomline: Its about suspense and thrill which you will enjoy - if you are a Halloween Movie fan. Halloween movies weren't about the blood and horror. They were about the guy who hears a noise outside and decides to check it out when the audience knows there is a killer on the loose.

So from one movie lover to another: The Reaper is all that with good B Actors and unknown Actors. Was it entertaining? Yes. And that is all that matters. Go see it.

Ahh we are in B-movie heaven here. An all-star cast of genre film favorites, headed by the always redoubtable Danny Trejo. A reincarnated killer with supernatural powers and a supposedly righteous vendetta. A pretty blonde who isn't as innocent as she seems. A drug deal gone bad. A crazy hotel clerk. And last but not least... one kill after another. Oh yes, these are the ingredients of that we see such films like "Reaper" for, and fortunately, it delivers! The film is what it promises to be, and maybe a bit better thanks to a higher-grade cast than one usually finds in such hotel horror films. One must add that it also has something of an '80's feel to it. A shame that this film didn't come out in that era... it's perfect for a late night Saturday trip to the local drive in theatre. Fun stuff

Went into this expecting very little but was quite surprised to discover that it was far less gory and way more interesting than initially suspected. I think the advertising here actually didn't do justice to the film because it comes off as a cliché slasher romp from the marketing but it's actually a twisty crime thriller with some supernatural shades. The cast really holds it together nicely, creating an ensemble of refreshingly flawed characters who are playing a dangerous game of survival of the fittest. Genre vets Trejo and Jones are always welcome additions to this kind of material, and they do as good a job as can be expected. Overall "Reaper" isn't quite what was expected, in a good way.