Oh, it reeks alright.
While browsing through Movie Gallery one day I came upon something interesting. Somehow a DTV horror flick had flown under my radar and made it to the New Releases without me knowing. This certain film it the slasher-flick-marketed-as-ghost/zombie-film
Reeker. The DVD case was covered in praise from all kinds of sources. I had to check it out. But, as I said it certainly reeks. It reeks of disappointment and failure.
Some teens break down at a motel in the middle of the desert and have to stay there for the night. Unfortunately some nasty stuff has gone down here and soon enough there's a zombiefied killer doing what killers do best. There's some interesting ideas thrown around here, like how some of the killer's victims live on as zombies who still think they're alive for a little while before finally wasting away, and how the villain's presence is accompanied by a horrible smell, hence the film's title, but all of these neat concepts soon drown in a sea of cliche.
Granted, some of the scares work fairly well, and the bad guy is insanely cool, with his gas mask and detachable hand weapons. Other than that and the fact that the film moves at a decent pace and that the acting isn't so horrible, this film is a mess.
Our group of cannon fodder consists of the chick who's supposed to be Australian but sounds more British, the blind guy, the druggie, the blond bimbo, and the "I'm only here to die" guy. Most will be killed in increasingly lame ways. There's also a lot of stuff here that begs for an explanation that never comes. How did the villain come to be? Why do some of his victims live on a bloodied, mutilated shells of them former selves for a few moments before finally dying and staying dead? Why is his presence accompanied by a horrible stench? Who is this guy who keeps showing up out of nowhere before suddenly disappearing again?
Reeker is full of questions like this, but none will ever be answered.
A little bit of imagination and some minor competence is all this film has going for it. If your desperate for a slasher fix but tired of the same-old, same-old, I guess you might enjoy this one. If not, however,
Reeker is one scent you won't want to catch a whiff of.
SCORE
out of five
