‘A wrong turn to Hell‘
Don’t Look is a 2018 American slasher horror film about five New York City millennials enjoying a Thanksgiving weekend in the countryside. However, something threatens to shatter their peaceful getaway and they are targeted for murder…
Directed by Luciana Faulhaber – who also stars – from a screenplay co-written with Jessica Boucher and Danielle Killay. The Enuff Productions movie also stars Jeff Berg, Curtis K Case and Javier E. Gómez.
Plot:
Review:
Despite a dubious opening section with some particularly unlikeable young city folks juxtaposed with a thoroughly cartoonish redneck couple that suggests this is all a satire, Don’t Look goes on to deliver the goods that slasher fans crave: nudity (both sexes), practical gore effects with realistic dark blood and a pleasingly unsettling, brooding score by Daniel Shaw. There are refreshingly strong female lead characters too, reflecting the filmmakers’ gender. The men are just dicks as is so often in the sub-genre.
Direction and lighting are agreeably positive; the camera roves, lurks and lingers when it should and we can at least see the mayhem unfolding during outdoor night scenes (unlike in many other modern horror outings). The final revelation may come as no great surprise but genuine twist endings are hard to get right, after all.
If you can get past the initial set-up and a ridiculously OTT scrawny wild rabbit meal scene, Don’t Look is actually worth a watch. On a minor point, the opening title appears grammatically incorrect and with the ‘n’ backwards. Huh?
Adrian J Smith, MOVIES & MANIA
Other reviews:
“This throwback to slashers moves pretty quickly, looks good and has some fun scenes […] Don’t Look won’t change your world but is a pleasant look back at the stalk and kill films that ruled the drive-ins and theaters of, let’s say, 1981.” B&S About Movies
“The gore factor is at a decent level, which will quench the thirst of any gore-hound, and there is much nudity to “bare” from both sexes. Also, a plus is the very short running time. Don’t Look may be sloppy, might have a convoluted storyline, and provide a bunch of characters no one will like, but it is a movie that took a lot of courage to put together…” Cryptic Rock
“A couple of key moments tease what could have been a gruelling, torturous trial by fire, traps, and entrails for our protagonists. Unfortunately, Don’t Look fails to provide enough of these moments to really satisfy most horror fans, while wrapping up a clichéd, uncreative storyline.” Modern Horrors
“Faulhaber, who also plays Lorena, does a good job recreating the look and feel of a mid-level slasher from back in the day. It isn’t bloodless but doesn’t go into Maniac territory with the gore either. The script from Jessica Boucher and Danielle Killay puts a bit more emphasis on the female characters than the originals did.” Voices from the Balcony
Don’t Look is available on VOD and DVD via Wild Eye Releasing on May 14, 2019.
Main cast and characters:
Luciana Faulhaber … Lorena
Jeff Berg … Ted
Curtis K Case … Alex
Jarrod Robbins … Kelley
Hailey Heisick … Sherri Baby
Lindsay Eshelman … Nicole
Daniel Pappas …Will
Javier E. Gómez … Sebastian
Cortney Bressler … Young Mother
Gary Gibson … Gas Station Driver
Bella Plotkin … Young Nicole
Preston Eshelman … Young Father
Filming locations:
Pennsylvania
Running time:
1 hour 11 minutes
