Haunted Trail, directed by Robin Givens, looks to many of the standard tropes of the slasher genre for inspiration. However, it also boasts strong acting, a groovy hip-hop soundtrack, and higher-than-usual production values.
From the start, we see a typical killer chasing a young woman through the woods with a knife. He looks like Michael Myers, wearing a white mask and coveralls.
This movie isn't going to be particularly original. However, it still manages to deliver in other ways.
The photography is excellent, the soundtrack is perfect, and the opening credits are very stylish.
We are introducing our main cast - a group of attractive, high-spirited African American friends who are getting together for an evening at a local haunted attraction.
The group of nine arrived at the venue early due to the owner&# Read more...
Haunted Trail, directed by Robin Givens, looks to many of the standard tropes of the slasher genre for inspiration. However, it also boasts strong acting, a groovy hip-hop soundtrack, and higher-than-usual production values.
From the start, we see a typical killer chasing a young woman through the woods with a knife. He looks like Michael Myers, wearing a white mask and coveralls.
This movie isn't going to be particularly original. However, it still manages to deliver in other ways.
The photography is excellent, the soundtrack is perfect, and the opening credits are very stylish.
We are introducing our main cast - a group of attractive, high-spirited African American friends who are getting together for an evening at a local haunted attraction.
The group of nine arrived at the venue early due to the owner's son being friends with one of them. Two guys stay back in the parking lot to finish smoking a joint. As the night goes on, some guests become scared and decide to leave. The employees chase after them while the rest of the guests continue exploring the attractions. I hope this place is accurate and people can visit it because it seems like a well-done haunt.
The friends are having a great time till one of the haunters, the same killer from the opening sequence, gets a little too handsy.
The group is moving together, but one falls behind and is left alone. According to horror movie rules, this is a dangerous situation, and sure enough, something terrible happens to the person who is left behind.
It takes the group a while to realize their latest addition has disappeared. They assume she's lagging. That is until they find her dead body at the next attraction. Then, the group realizes they are over their heads as they explore the strange house.
The group of friends discusses what their next move should be and eventually decide to continue forward instead of backtracking.
The group of friends is trying to avoid the killer, who is still active and murdering other girls. They know they will be in serious trouble if they run into him.
There is a lot of screaming and fake death in haunted houses, and a clever enough killer could stay hidden in all the commotion. But it's a pretty scary idea if you think about it.
Another group member falls behind and ends up getting lost. That makes six of them now. Unfortunately, there's a killer on the loose, and he's not afraid to take more lives. He grabs one of the groups in a maze and drags him away to a bloody death.
The group splits up foolishly as two of the athletes among them try to make a stand, figuring that two against one gives them a decent chance.
When the two kids encounter the killer, one chickens out and runs away after failing to do any damage to the killer with a large branch. Unfortunately, this left the other kid alone and vulnerable.
The killer took advantage of the new situation, and five people left.
One of the girls drops her earring and goes back for it, giving the killer just enough time to catch up. This leaves us with four girls, soon to be three. The foolish girl's friend suffers from anemia, exacerbated by the extreme fear of her friends all being killed off around her. She passes out.
So it turns out that the big bad wasn't who we thought it was. There was another twist that revealed the true identity of the villain, and it was a doozy. This showdown was intense and exciting and a great way to end the story.
The film's climax sees the killer's plans unravel and ultimately leaves things open for a sequel - though it's unclear if one will be made.
It's tough to rate a movie like this one somewhat. It covers a lot of familiar ground and doesn't bring anything new to the genre in terms of originality. However, seeing a slasher movie directed by an African American woman is refreshing, and starring several capable black actors is refreshing.
I want to see more films like this.
This movie would be a good entry point for those not yet familiar with horror movie clichés. However, more experienced horror fans might want to give it a miss. But during the Halloween season, you could certainly do much worse.
At the very least, watching this film could get you in the mood to visit a haunted attraction yourself.
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5.0
