The Pack

The trailer makes it look so much better than it actually is. All the kills by the dogs lack suspense and are the same quick cuts so you really can't see what the heck is going on during the kills because of the bad editing. And every stupid plot device was used to make it impossible for the family to just pick up the phone and call animal welfare to come and handle these feral beasts.

I have 200 more characters to go because this site insists that every review must be a long, drawn out novella instead of being short and to the point like a review should be.

The movie is boring boring boring.... Minimum character limit met. I'm done.

A family becomes trapped as a pack of man eating, feral dogs descend on their property.

This isn't an awful film but there isn't a whole lot to it. It has little in the way of character development or a solid story so that you can invest in the family. It didn't have much gore or blood but there was brutal suggestiveness in the attacks. We didn't even get to see much of the dogs. After all my complaints, I still liked the film. I could see this as a Lifetime movie.

This may not be the best of its kind (no pun intended), but it is a very decent low budget effort. And it has a couple of surprising moments in it (twists), that are nice. The acting is OK, again always considering this is a low budget affair. The effects are nicely made and work for this movie too.

I watched it at a Festival and while no one was too excited about it, there weren't too many people who felt it was a waste of their time either. Of course the movie has it's clichés too and before we get a few nice turns we also get what we expect. It's teenage problems combined with the supernatural, with a tick of family issues thrown in for good measure.

The first thing I checked after blindly purchasing "The Pack" was if it's a remake of the tense but sadly forgotten 1977 horror/thriller with the same title and directed by Robert Clouse. It's not, and I guess that makes sense, since "The Pack" is a logical and common title for a movie about a bunch of wild dogs entrenching petrified families. Nevertheless, I couldn't wait to watch it fast, because I have a fondness for Aussie horror and particularly because I'm always in the mood to see a good old-fashioned "animals gone bad/nature against humanity" flick. It's already a personal favorite sub-genre of mine and, quite frankly, I've been so fed up with horror movies about cannibalistic/inbred families lately, that an "animal-attack" film sounds extra fresh and appealing! The best possible thing I can write about "The Pack" is that debuting director Nick Robertson did an exceptionally impressive job when it comes to building up tension and sustaining the uncanny atmosphere. The body count is rather low, I'll reveal that much, but it's a rare example of a recent horror movie where you develop sympathy for the lead characters and move towards the edge of your seat during the chase sequences. The plot introduces the Wilson family, living on an isolated farming estate in the remote Australian countryside. The rebellious teenage daughter wants to move back to the city and the parents are virtually bankrupt, mainly because all their sheep are getting killed by a pack of bewildered dogs. When the dogs move in closer, the mean and nasty debt collector from the bank is the first one to get what he deserves. But savage dogs don't care about mortgages, and pretty soon the family's sole concern becomes the nightly battle for survival. I like my 'nature revolts' movies best when the animals in question are as normal as possible. Like in the awesome 1977 film, these dogs aren't mutated, sick or excessively large. They've just gone savage because they were abandoned and depend on their natural killing instinct to survive. Simple, perhaps, but even more efficient and it's exactly what makes them more menacing. There are a few clichés and fake jump-scares, but also a bit of decent gore and the attack sequences are more than adequately illustrated. I didn't know any of the names in the cast, but they all put down good performances. "The Pack" isn't the most memorable or spectacular horror/thriller you'll ever watch, but it's certainly worth and hour and a half of your life.

The Breed, Burning Bright and now The Pact! The list is growing, movies where people are trapped inside the house with the enemy surrounding the place and finding its way in, are plenty, but how many out there, are good?

I never cared much for The Grey, I am a huge Liam Neeson fan, but still, that one was way unrealistic, probably even for a sci-fi film. So, as horror has it lately, bring on the indies, the low budget projects, the little gems, movies that manage to take you by surprise and offer a good 80-90 minutes worth of thrill and suspense. Now don't get me wrong, The Pack is no masterpiece and it does have its holes, but still, it was a pleasure watching it.

No real explanation will be offered, typical, I know, and this one builds very little to itself as it jumps straight to action. I think they worked OK as a family, the dialogue was decent, the acting good, effects simple tho hitting the spot and a good execution to a quite used plot. More to say about it?

It is shorter than most, just 80 minutes here of watch, doesn't bring any new elements to the story, doesn't act dumb either, so all in all, I graded it a 4. It was better than most, not a bad movie, just a decent watch!

Cheers!