Maladjusted adolescent misfit Lincoln Taggert (a solid and sympathetic performance by Ronen Rubinstein) gets sent to a remote school for troubled kids. After Lincoln finds himself being mercilessly tormented by a group of mean bullies, he inadvertently conjures up the lethal spirit of fellow deceased bully victim Moira (well played with frightening intensity by Sierra McCormick), who embarks on a ferocious vengeful spree.
Director Adam Egypt Mortimer, who also co-wrote the dark script with Brian DeLeeuw, presents an interesting array of credibly messed-up teen characters, makes nice use of the desolate desert locations, generates a good deal of tension, maintains an appropriately bleak'n'brooding atmosphere throughout, astutely nails a strong sense of adolescent angst and anger, and delivers a generous amount of nasty gore. The sound acting by the capable cast keeps this movie humming, with especially stand-out work from Grace Phipps as the sultry and spunky, yet spiteful Kaitlin, Spencer Breslin as loyal friend Derek, Maestro Harrell as the antagonistic Willie, and Michael Polish as ineffectual camp supervisor Jack Iverson. The uncompromisingly grim ending packs a devastating punch. The filmmakers warrant extra praise for depicting the severe emotional and psychological damage wrought by bullying in an unflinchingly stark and brutal manner. Kudos are also in order for Robert Allare's moody score and Benji Bakshi's crisp widescreen cinematography. A worthy scarefest.
Director Adam Egypt Mortimer, who also co-wrote the dark script with Brian DeLeeuw, presents an interesting array of credibly messed-up teen characters, makes nice use of the desolate desert locations, generates a good deal of tension, maintains an appropriately bleak'n'brooding atmosphere throughout, astutely nails a strong sense of adolescent angst and anger, and delivers a generous amount of nasty gore. The sound acting by the capable cast keeps this movie humming, with especially stand-out work from Grace Phipps as the sultry and spunky, yet spiteful Kaitlin, Spencer Breslin as loyal friend Derek, Maestro Harrell as the antagonistic Willie, and Michael Polish as ineffectual camp supervisor Jack Iverson. The uncompromisingly grim ending packs a devastating punch. The filmmakers warrant extra praise for depicting the severe emotional and psychological damage wrought by bullying in an unflinchingly stark and brutal manner. Kudos are also in order for Robert Allare's moody score and Benji Bakshi's crisp widescreen cinematography. A worthy scarefest.