Identity (2003 film)

If he tries anything, I'm gonna shoot him.  And if anything tries to come in here, I'm gonna shoot it.  And if any of us moves, I'm gonna shoot them.  You got that? - Rhodes

In the middle of the Nevada desert, in a small roadside motel, a fight for survival is raging.  Eleven strangers meet at the motel in the middle of a rainstorm: a family of three, a newlywed couple, a chauffeur and the actress he's driving, a police officer and his prison transfer con, a call girl and the motel's desk clerk.  Someone starts picking them off one by one.  Who is it?  Well, that would spoil the surprise, now wouldn't it?

I first came across this movie in online advertisements.  There was a website for it that had a sort of mini-game on it that you could follow through to find clues about it.  I found the website interesting and the game fun, though my computer couldn't really handle all of it at the time.  So, when ads on TV started showing, I knew this was one I had to see in the theater.  Now, ten years later, it's my honor to bring it to you.

The film is more in line with a classic murder mystery, something of an homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None/Ten Little Indians.  The suspense and fear builds up really well until the final reveal of the true identity of the killer.  It'll definitely keep you guessing!

We have a major ensemble cast here, from John Cusack (1408, 2012 and The Raven) to Rebecca De Mornay (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and the Mother's Day remake), Amanda Peet (2012 again and Changing Lanes) to John Hawkes (From Dusk Till Dawn, Wristcutters: A Love Story and S. Darko), Ray Liotta (Turbulence and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City), Jake Busey (The Frighteners, The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting, and Wristcutters: A Love Story again), Alfred Molina (Raiders of the Lost Ark and Spider-Man 2), John C. McGinley (Hear No Evil, Seven and Office Space), the list goes on and on.  You don't see a cast like this very often anymore, outside of the Machete movies!

I give this film a 5 out of 5.  I've always enjoyed the murder mystery format like this, where the killer's identity isn't revealed till late in the game, and this one does not disappoint.  Thanks for joining me for this one.  Tomorrow, we'll have one of my lost films, Manhater.  Take care of yourself, enjoy your weekend, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Detour (2003 film)

This place kind of grows on you... like leprosy. - Cashie

When I had planned out typing this up, I originally was going to bill this as Happy Horror's first film from The Asylum, but then I remembered, on the original site, I reviewed their Vampires Vs. Zombies film (the less I say about that one, the better!).  I rented this one on a fluke one time a few years ago.  When the Hollywood Video in my town closed up shop, they started selling films off at pretty good prices, and this is one of the ones I bought, remembering it and thinking it would be a good one to write about on the site.  So, here we go!

The film opens on a couple of girls driving down the freeway.  While moving in to kiss (there was mention early on about a wedding, as well), some nasty-looking red stuff splatters all over their windshield and sends them offroad.  The driver, Tiffany, sees a robed figure striding towards them through the desert and gets out the Club to defend herself, when he swings a rebarred hook, disarms her and stabs her with the makeshift weapon.  The other girl, Angela, gets out and runs, stumbling due to her leg being hurt in the crash.  She runs into a stake trap that the homicidal maniac soon impales her on.

The rest of the film concerns seven friends traveling from a rave back home, when the leader, Neil, takes them on a detour to try to locate some peyote a friend of his tipped him off to.  What they find is a nightmare waiting to happen, as they're picked off, one by one, by a group of cannibals looking to make them into their next meal.  Will the group survive the night?  Will they get their motorhome unstuck before the cannibals finish them off?

On paper, this film sounds alot like The Hills Have Eyes, with a group in a motorhome being besieged by a family of cannibals in the desert.  However, it takes several twists and turns that Hills never made, resulting in a film experience that was actually very unique and fun.  This film predates when The Asylum became an exclusively mockbuster studio, and while their films were sometimes hit or miss, I really miss some of these more fun, original titles like this.  The acting was really good, with very few overly hammy scenes (with one particular character excepted).

Ashley Elizabeth played main girl Tara really well, even acting through some sickness near the end of the shooting.  The movie was filmed in mid-February, so the desert was not as hot as one might normally think, and she'd often have to act in a bikini top or worse at points in very frigid cold, so definitely major kudos to her for this role.  She's also had uncredited roles in WWE Films John Cena vehicle Legendary and Green Lantern, and a part in 2012 short film Slayground.  Aaron Buer played Lawrence, aka Loopz, a rapper wannabe who needs to dig deep to find the courage to help his friends fight off the cannibal tribe.  Throughout the film, he talked like a stereotypical hip-hop type, which gave him some pretty funny lines but could get to be annoying after a little while.  This was the only real overacting in the film, but it worked for him.  He was also in 2009's Nuclear and Killer Yacht Party, aka Dead in the Water.  Tiffany was played by scream queen Tiffany Shepis, who did a really good job with the little screen time she had.  A veteran of Troma's films, her acting career dates back to 1996's Tromeo and Juliet, but she's also been in Toxic Avenger IV: Citizen Toxie, Night of the Demons remake, and Bonnie & Clyde Vs. Dracula, to name just a few.

I really enjoyed this movie.  Though there were a few continuity errors (pointed out on the commentary by the director and producers), and a couple special effects failures, the film was really good, in my opinion.  I give it a 4 out of 5.  Up next on our Happy Horrorween tour, I'll be taking you back to one of my favorite countries in the world: Japan!  Don't miss it!  Until next time, take care of yourselves, and this is Red Hawk signing out!