An Exercise In Nonsense

Admirable film.

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

An effective opening scene shows 10 year old Jenny see her sister murdered. Jump to Jenny (Brucato) in college where she is afraid to leave her dorm room. She becomes involved with Gavin (Ellington) and reluctantly agrees to a college scavenger hunt around New York City. A killer is using the game to track and kill the contestants. In what amounts to a modern slasher film, the set up and premise is a good one for a slasher film. Too bad it's 2009 and not 1980, because this movie misses every opportunity to be scary, fun and entertaining. Elizabeth Lucas directs like she is shooting a modern sitcom not a horror film. There is a little gore thrown in at the final minute but the lame acting and boring characters will make you lose your interest way before the killer can even get started.

An agoraphobic freshman in New York City must join a scavenger hunt to save her boyfriend from a murderous game master.Right now (October 2012) this film is sitting on a rating of 3.2, which is among the lowest ratings possible (you rarely see anything under a 2.7). Can this film really be so bad? I mean, yeah, it is kind of bad, but not that bad.I actually liked the concept of a college scavenger hunt. The actual hunt did not start until 34 minutes into the film (the first half hour had mostly annoying character development of characters I had no interest in being developed). But, once it got going, it seemed cool and I really loved the scavenger map with the strings and pins.Ultimately, though, too little action and not enough reason for me to care.

I liked this low-budget film, but it wasn't what I expected. From the package, you're expecting a slasher, but this is more like Scream. I'm a New Yorker, and they really got the feel of the city, from the mundane to the scary (beware: there are lots of "in jokes" for the New Yorkers). The story is a bit uneven, but some of the acting is really good. Brucato plays that strange creepy introverted "girl with a past" with grating accuracy. What's crazy is that I think lots of the actors are really musical theater types - I mean Terrence Mann is on Broadway in the Addams Family right now. Not your typical horror cast. I guess you don't often see horror films directed by women, but that surely accounts for some of what makes the vibe of this film unique. Not gross scary. More like go-on-a-date scary. If you're willing to take it on its own terms, I'd recommend it. Bring your girl friend.

Wow...just...wow. I don't even know where to start with this movie. It was just so, so bad. Have you even sat down and thought to yourself "I like the idea of slasher movies, but can't they make one that impossibly boring and pointless?". If you have, this is your lucky day. Then again, you also might consider professional help.Nothing about this movie stands out as good. The acting is fine, but that's about it. Stalker movies are a dime a dozen so to make yours stand out you should probably add something at least slightly original to it. Or at least make the kills cool. Or do something...ANYTHING...to keep me from nodding off during it. Alas, Red Hook does not do any of these things. The story is horribly put together and boring and there's nothing original going on. Hell, even the kills are extremely lame. Also, I know it's not the movie's fault, but why in the world does IMDb have this listed as a comedy first and a horror second? It's not really either, but definitely not a comedy. It's just plain awful.