Ruin Me

Ruin Me is a slasher from first-time director Preston DeFrancis. The plot follows a strangely small group attending a Slasher Sleepout camping trip, where they will be competing to survive the weekend in the "ultimate horror movie experience." Roped into this outing is Alexandra: the reluctant girlfriend of an Old Navy mannequin (Nathan).

Despite the interesting synopsis, Ruin Me suffers many flaws. Most prevalent being its remarkably odious characters. Every single person in this movie is petulant, hostile, and/or just plain stupid. Dialogue is one-dimensional and cringe worthy at times, often trying too hard to be edgy. Normally I'd overlook that in a b-movie, but character development was a significant focus here. All this is harder to swallow when nobody is sympathetic.

Initially I couldn't stand this movie, as the first twenty minutes had me wanting everyone gutted ASAP. I became more engaged halfway through, but the plot quickly becomes predictable. Which is why I think they decided to jump the shark in the last act. You can overlook some inconsistencies with low-budget horror, but sometimes a director just does way too much in an effort to shock. Unfortunately, Ruin Me becomes mediocre and incredibly convoluted.

Role Playing Camp ... or something to that effect. This is a horror themed expedition that goes south. Or does it? And where exactly does it go? And what does it all mean? Can there be too many twists? Maybe it's better not to think too much about it? Yeah let's do that and just enjoy the movie until it comes off the rails (entirely).

Maybe that is and depending on your view and if you care how it all is being resolved. You could argue that there are things that make certain characters unlikeable. And there are a lot of things that could go wrong even further or earlier in the movie. But that's what you get when a movie tries to be as clever as possible. It may strike a nerve with some, it may annoy others. Still nicely executed and more than decent

While in no way ground breaking, this outdoor escape room movie is an entertaining watch. The acting is decent, though I suspect that's because the actors were told to "act themselves". The mystery isn't too hard to figure out, though they put a few unexplained red herrings in to keep thing interesting. The cinematography and sound were professional, as was the direction.

Five stars for a film worth seeing made on a limited budget. The only real weakness was the lead actress, who wasn't strong enough to carry the film. And the film was all about the lead actress. A better performance would have gotten this a seven. As it was, five stars.

Given it 5 stars out of 10 for it's attempt at something a little different from the norm, also given the obvious low budget, the film does not look cheap and the actors were decent enough.

There is another older movie in the name of 'April Fools Day' a 1986 film which is similar in some ways to this one, but does it a whole lot better!

7.5

Pretty good time waster.

Not pc driven, no social justice issues, no political messages, just entertainment!