The Shortcut

source: The Shortcut

Normally, I wouldn't give a PG horror movie the time of day. Films like Twilight are not my idea of vampire movies. But, I just watched Tucker and Dale vs Evil and I wanted to see Katrina Bowden again. The movie was mostly disappointing through the first two acts. It wasn't until there were only 20 minutes left that we saw any real action. Then, it was intense as the kids were running for their lives. The story was predictable. I won't give anything away. The ending was a jolt and showed some real creativity. No standout performances, except for maybe Raymond J. Barry, who played the old man in the woods. You can find something better to watch.

So not particularly scary. Pretty predictable. Stumbling about in the woods. I thought the very end might be a fun twist but the foreshadowing was pretty thick. Some decent acting so that's fun. Was okay for a "nothing else to do" kind of night. Franco was fun and kinda cute back in the day. Big question "what happened to Tammy?"

After a series of strange incidents, a teen and his friends decide to investigate the supposedly-haunted shortcut through the woods that is the base of an urban legend around town, and find that someone is intent on proving the legend true. This was an enjoyable if slightly flawed effort that could've been even better. One of the better elements within this one is that it manages to be pretty creepy and suspenseful despite being pretty tame and soft. There's some really enjoyable and creepy moments in here which get this one going rather nicely, from the first time the kids wander through the house to the big confrontation in the woods where the darkness of the surrounding sand the two different encounters with the chained-up farmer makes for a couple of enjoyable entertaining scenes that work well without betraying the incredible tame feeling throughout this. Other big set-pieces include a second house-investigation sequence which features the spectacular sequence of the kids in the classroom which is illuminated only by their flashlights and shows row after row of mannequins set-up as if they're students and then stumbling upon all the writing on the wall which makes for a wholly impressive sequence, mixing together rather impressive suspense alongside the frantic action set-up which is highly enjoyable while keeping this one still quite kid-friendly. This is a rather big feature within the film here as none of these scenes and confrontations really highlights that issue and it's only upon reflection that it's really noticeable. This one does have a few small problems with it, the first being the really lame motivation for the killer. There's very little about it that would appear too logical and realistic as for why they would feel this way. That holds it down as well as the film's rather dull mid-section which doesn't offer much of anything interesting. This comes off as a lame teen-drama which isn't all too interesting and makes for a rather dull time as the family struggles and burgeoning romance aren't in the slightest bit exciting and really take away from the exploration of the easily as this tends to get glossed over easily. Lastly, while this one does manages to get in some good here with the tameness being quite nice, at times this one can be quite apparent of its roots and really highlight the tamer aspect especially in the beginning. It's all enough to bring this down slightly. Rated PG-13: Violence, Mild Language and children-in-jeopardy.

In the fall of 1945 youths in a small town are getting ready to head for war in Europe (news apparently doesn't travel fast). One such soldier wants to get it off with his girl and in an attempt to do so takes the shortcut through the woods, where he aims to take advantage of the situation. However his girl ends up being murdered by a young boy. Over 60 years later two brothers move into town: Tobey (Nicholas Elia) and Taylor (Josh Emerson). Unknowing off the ignomy of the short cut, where it is rumoured that many kids and animals have disappeared, Tobey is conned by his friends to take the route... Any decent horror film needs to have at least two of the prerequisites - atmosphere, an intriguing story, a good scare, originality and capable acting. Issues like reasonable believability of script, nice pacing and in some preferences a sufficient gore factor as additional bonuses. "The Shortcut" basically fails on all grounds with flashbacks crucialy disappointing. It reveals too much of the story backbone to create any sense of mystery, while given the standardised movie-making qualities it has nothing close to atmosphere. At the same time it lacks originality either in structure or in story, while the story plods out for the first sixty minutes and then suddenly throws us into the final act unprepared in such a manner, that you can't even believe that we are already heading for the conclusion. Acting is all over the place, albeit the menacing Raymond J. Barry and the captivating Katrina Bowden are standout with what little proper dialogue they have to work on. The worst factor is the believability of the script. Naturally a certain suspension of belief is necessary, but that doesn't mean anything flies. In the case of "The Shortcut" we are led to believe, that a normal child brought up in a loving caring environment can have some sort of uncontrollable craving to murder at a whim. The whole base for the horror wants to takes my common sense and strangle it, but I am unwilling to comply.

With "Trick 'r Treat" proving to be a surprisingly effective chiller for the straight-to-video market and "Paranormal Activity" (I can't wait to see and review it!) impressing almost everyone in theaters, the horror genre seems to be having a small pre-Halloween resurgence. Unfortunately, "The Shortcut" is here to serve as a nagging reminder that the current state of horror is sadly pathetic. Released by Scary Madison, an offshoot of Adam Sandler's Happy Madison production company, this film is shockingly inept for one that is trying to prove its company's worth in an already saturated genre. In fact, the only thing that "The Shortcut" proves is that Scary Madison will live a short, unfulfilling life before being dismantled in favor of more comedic mediocrity starring Sandler. Here, despite the presence of his brother, Scott Sandler, as a screenwriter, Adam was wise enough to stay far away. Given the caliber of much of his recent work, you know that "The Shortcut" has got to be bad. Read My Full Review Exclusively At: www.thecinemaview.blogspot.com

i was bored through the whole damn movie. there is so much set of here for absolutely no pay off. the acting was horrible ( except most of the women were pretty good) and the kills were non-exsistant. oh there were deaths, but they were so lam and not focused on, that i just looked right past them. The Story was somewhat original, but not original enough to save this movie. The Ending was totally predictable, and i called the twist ending within 5 min ..I feel like this is what a PG horror movie would look like. So grab you 5 year olds if u want them to see a scary movie. but if u r like me and are a GROWN UP... skip it altogether. and may i suggest hostel, last house on the left, martyrs, inside, rec, high tension.... now those r horror movies

I did not have deep expectations for this movie when i stuck it in the DVD player. It started like an old school thriller that gives the viewer pretty much the idea how it will develop and run.I expected a better start than a cheap slasher flick scene which tells you how the movie would turn out. The cast is way better than the inadequate story line. Music riffs are well crafted to add more to the fear otherwise it would only fall flat . I can say this is an offshoot of Adam Sandler's motion picture company and i really need to give 10 out of 10 for the photography and the music director of this movie. Picture is worth an ovation. What i did not really understand was why instead of calling the police to track down the house of the alleged slasher guys are trying to break into the man's garage where they find weird things . The cliché is how the cast is trying to scare themselves off backing up the music . btw another cliché is sex innuendos the main characters are having in the car while lurking on the killer. I guess concealment is more important than making out in the car where you are heck close to the slasher . dude watch out he may come and slash you :). another cliché to spoil about is the guys perusing the garage of the slasher almost all through the movie . the director is quite nitwit to use these old school Hollywood clichés to scare the teenager audience . I would not recommend this movie for people who have a lot of expectations from a horror flick . I would be totally bewildered if in one movie the phone signal is available when the victims try to call 911. Almost in every slasher movie the cellphone is used for the despairing feeling the runners hold onto .i am rating this flick 3 out of 10 . Evren Buyruk from USA

After starting this movie, I found myself constantly checking to see how far into the film I was. At the 30 minute mark, the movie was still was not doing anything for me. Yes, they give you a little bit of background (a few minutes ), and the rest is spent attempting to shape some characters - but alas, nothing interesting. I actually started to nod off. 45 minutes in - they finally have one good scene. Then, it's back to the teeny-bopper, high school setting. Not sure how they can classify this as "horror" or even suspense, with just a handful of tense scenes. I am not a fan of gore, and don't need blood to enjoy a movie - but I do like to be taken by surprise, or startled. A thrill or two is great. You simply won't find anything here.

This movie was, well truth be told, fairly average. The storyline was pretty much like taken from a mold of how to make a teenage slasher movie, nothing new or super surprising to the story actually. You have your newly arrived family to a town, a crazy old man in the woods, and a bunch of teenagers with their noses in places they don't belong. And with that recipe, "The Shortcut" is set off to an otherwise alright ride. The movie moves ahead at a good pace actually, never becoming stale or boring. There is a good turn of events throughout the movie, and some nice character build as well. This is some of the stronger elements that work for the movie. As for the cast, well I think they actually put together an alright group of people here for the movie. Raymond J. Barry in the role of the 'old man' was actually good, he did come off the screen sort of aloof, but I wouldn't say he was creepy, as the teens in the movie described him. As for the young cast, well they did good jobs with their characters as well, but for me it was Raymond J. Barry who carried the movie. Now, for a slasher movie, there isn't a whole lot of blood and gore, but that is alright, because the movie didn't' really need it. It was more thriving on building up suspense and atmosphere. However, I must say that you have the storyline figured out fairly quickly into the movie, but still, the movie is worth watching. And the ending, had a rather unusual twist to it. Whether you like that particular twist or not is a matter of opinion. I, personally, found the ending to be over the top, it just didn't seem like a wholesome way to round up the movie. But of course, this is a matter of taste. One of the better scenes in the movie was the hammer scene. Without giving anything away, you will know what I am talking about when you see it. That scene was so good, and the aftermath was working out nice as well. And what was really working for "The Shortcut" was the atmosphere of the setting and scenery. There was a whole seedy, dormant feel to the town in which it took place. And the old man's house, though described as creepy and disturbing by the teenagers, wasn't what they said it was. But, I will say that the old man's house was interesting, and it had a very gloomy feel to it, with some fairly interesting items to be seen here and there. As movies go, do not expect the next Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger to be born from this movie. It is a fairly average movie, and it is one that fails to stand out in the slasher genre. Sad to say, but you watch this movie and then it will fade into oblivion, because nothing really makes it extraordinary or standing out in any way. I found the movie to prove adequate entertainment for its one and a half hour (approximately) duration, though it is not a movie that I will be returning to for a second time around.