Laid to Rest

 (2009)

by Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski)

A young woman wakes up in the dark. She's in a casket. She manages to break free, but finds herself trapped in the cold prep room of a funeral parlor, surrounded by caskets and bodies. She can't seem to remember who she is, or why she is there, but she knows two things. First, she has a really bad headache. Second, she really doesn't like the looks of the guy on the other side of the glass-windowed door. Nor do we. He's dressed all in black except for a gleaming metallic mask, and he wears a small video recorder on his shoulder, as a pirate would wear a parrot.

She manages to escape from that building, only to realize that she's out in the middle of nowhere, in some rural area of the South, and it's the middle of the night. She receives an unlikely windfall of luck - a lone car happens along the deserted road. She flags it down and catches a break - the driver is a kindly old fella who takes her to his own house.

Only one problem. Mr. Mask can track her, and he really, really wants her back. Those who try to prevent that from happening are likely to find themselves in a world of hurt.

If you read my reviews regularly, you know that I'm no fan of the kind of film where people get body parts removed by giant saw-tooth knives. This is such a film, and a rather explicit one at that, yet I got involved in it. Why? A few reasons:

1. The plotting and direction are effective and reasonably original. The opening paragraphs of this essay should show you that the film is not just another copycat slasher film, but has some style and imagination, and includes some extra layers of mystery. It's more like a Twilight Zone episode with ultragore.

2. The bad guy is human and vulnerable to counter-attack. Let's face, when kids are doing battle with Jason or Freddie Kruger, there's little chance for them. It's not a matter of whether they will die, but when, and how, and how many. This film is different. The killer is a psychotic fiend who commits some truly depraved acts, but he can be hurt by the normal means: a hard shove; a kick in the nuts; a bullet. With the right tools he can be defeated. That fact alone confers some dramatic tension which would not be not present if the baddie were the typical immortal figure. It's possible that some or all of the main characters will make it through the night alive.

3. The characters are real and interesting. The three main would-be victims are not the usual collection of snotty teens, but a tough old guy who walks with a cane, a feisty hooker, and a computer nerd whose mom just died.


Oddity: The beautiful veteran English actress Lena Headey, who played the Spartan queen in 300, and was acclaimed for her performance in Aberdeen, appears in this film. She has a tiny part, and she plays an American with a heavy Southern-fried drawl. No problem with that. She's good in the part, but what the hell was she doing playing a Southern belle in a virtual cameo in a zero-budget STV movie? There must be a good story there, but I don't know it.

DVD INFO

 *unrated

 

 

 

 

THE CRITICS AND ACADEMIES

There are no major reviews online, but the IMDb page includes more than a dozen reviews from genre specialists.

THE PEOPLE

   
5.2 IMDB summary (of 10)
   

THE BOX OFFICE

Straight to DVD/Cable

 

NUDITY REPORT

  • Seri de Young - breasts
  • Bobbie Sue Luther - no nudity, but very close.

 

Google
 
Web www.scoopy.com

Our Grade:

If you are not familiar with our grading system, you need to read the explanation, because the grading is not linear. For example, by our definition, a C is solid and a C+ is a VERY good movie. There are very few Bs and As. Based on our descriptive system, this film is a:

C

Bottom line: solid genre film. I expected the usual by-the-numbers slasher flick, and was pleasantly surprised to find it ... er ... a cut above. It's the rare splatter film that has the ability to please both the gorehounds and those who, like me, are inclined to dislike any form of torture porn.