Alone At Night

One genre in the horror genre that never seems to die is the genre known as slashers. Typcially most slashers who are released have some kind of killer who attack people with a certain kind of weapon, no matter if it´s a knife, a machete, or perhaps a sword. I have seen so many different kinds of slasher films since the late 80´s, and there have been some good ones. Unfortunately there are some slashers that never really turned out to be anything special, and were just released to cash in on slasher fans. Some might prefer the Scream franchise especially after the original film from 1996 was such a big hit, but i was personally never a big Scream fan. I don´t mind the first two films, but they were enough for me so i never saw the sequels that followed. That doesn´t mean i can´t recommend the original film, it is worth checking out. I personally prefer other kinds of horror films in this genre and a perfect example of that is the 2006 slasher film known as Hatchet. Directed by Adam Green, this film tells the story of a group of tourists out in the swamp in New Orleans who have an accident and their boat is damaged. In the swamp they do not expect to meet the local legend Victor Crowley ( Kane Hodder ) to still be alive. The character Victor Crowley proved that you can make a fun slasher character with practical make up effects on a limited budget, and i have to say i enjoy some of the other characters in this film as well. The gore effects are fun to watch and there are some brutal scenes to enjoy. You even have smaller roles here from legendary horror actors Robert Englund and Tony Todd in here. This film is without a doubt working so well thanks to legendary horror actor Kane Hodder. He proves that you can play two different characters in the same film and still make it work. Hatchet is simply just a fun B horror movie with a good sense of humour and fun practical killing effects. I recommend you pick up the DVD and check out the nice special features, especially the director´s commentary track. I try and check out slasher film when ever i can, and even if it´s not my favourite genre in horror film there are a few interesting titles that comes out every year. One of the films i had on my watch list is a slasher film called Alone At Night ( also known as 18 & Over ), a film i didn´t know anything about really except saw the poster. Is this a film that will please fans of this genre, or is Alone At Night just as dull as another episode of Emerdale?

Vicky ( Ashley Benson ) and and her friend Stacy ( Sky Ferreira ) head towards a cabin together, owned by Stacys family to do a week of heavy camming online on the site 18 & Over to make some money. What seems to be an ordinary visit to the woods, is about to change completely

Alone At Night tries to go in different directions. One moment we are witnessing a reality TV show and the people who have decided to join the show, and then we are out in the countryside in a cabin where a woman does live webcam nudity shows for money. That´s a pretty crazy mix right already 15 minutes into the film, and the reality show is something we especially get to follow in certain scenes. One character in this reality show known as Deadass played by actor Tyler Dean Flores, imagine a combination of singer Sean Paul and hip hop artist Bow Wow combined, trying to look cool in the biggest glasses you have ever seen, he definetely stands out in this reality show. Not saying this look is making him look that cool, but we definetely need Deadass in this reality show. The most odd characters in Alone At Night who doesn´t fit in at all but are funny to watch ( for being so bad ) is Pamela Andersson as Sheriff Rogers and her nephew Depurty Wayne ( ASAP Nast ). Not only are these the worst cops i have seen in a long time, but they are actually entertaining to watch. I personally feel that they should have had more screen time together since a slasher needs some comedy, and they would be a great match to certain scenes. Pamela Anderson have never been a good actor, and i am ok with that. At least in this film she´s not trying to be serious but just to have fun with her character. We even have legendary actor Luis Gusmán ( who can forget him from classics such as Boogie Nights and Traffic ? ) here playing the character JazzyLou. Unfortunately he is not used very well in this film, and he actually give one of the better acting performances. Actress Ashley Benson thankfully give us the most interesting character in this film called Vicky. Did i mention Paris Hilton shows up? She does, but nothing you will remember. As a slasher film i have to say that Alone At Night feels pretty weak, when you think about how the kills are done in this film. There are not many memorable killing scenes at all, and unfortunately not effective either. Director Jimmy Giannopoulos mix too many ideas together with this film and especially the reality show doesn´t really fit in. He should have kept the story to the cabin only and it might have been interesting. Alone At Night is not completely horrible, but it is a film you will easily forget. A slasher film that we have seen so many times before and doesn´t really do anything unique or different and doesn´t even try to be a good slasher. My advice, pick up Hatchet on DVD instead and i guarantee you will have more fun.

Rating: DD