If you have to depend on constant darkness to make a horror movie, it means the plot isn't good enough to carry it. I'm just about 40 minutes into the movie. Can't see a thing.
24 Reviews
Way too dark. Could see anything.
kjd-682824 September 2021
The Retreat
marinaant-3621728 December 2021
I liked it, it was very typical though nothing we haven't seen before or something special I have seen films just like this a million times. But it had some tension in it and it was really enjoyable to spend my time I think it deserves to be watched at least once.
Too dark to review....
mtyducs13 December 2021
I don't know a thing about lighting but I do know that when I'm looking at black screen during many scenes, something is wrong. Lighting or not, there is not much to this movie. And emphasizing "lesbian" couple is odd. Straight couple or lesbian couple....the movie would the exact same.
BUT WHAT IF WE FOUGHT BACK?
aarpcats14 February 2022
Alyson Richards' script tells the story of a young lesbian couple who want to reignite the passion in their relationship by going to an off grid retreat in a remote part of Ontario. Instead of finding a long weekend of lovemaking, the couple is captured by a group of homophobic survivalists who make money showing their bloody torture acts on the web.
As far as the horror goes, the plot is just a variation of 100 other movies where city dwellers fall into the hands of insane hillbillies. The couple is suffering from the same "need a way back to each other" dynamic they do in all these films. In this case, the hillbillies have a special kind of hate, but they aren't much different than the one in the other movies.
What's different is how angry the women are at the people who attacked them. They don't really want to be rescued by the police. They want to waste the monsters and leave the world a safer place. What's also different is how uniting against the common enemy reunites the women, and makes them a stronger couple.
This movie is about the needless political attacks on the LGBTQ community, and the legacy of pain and anger it leaves. The whole point of the movie is that the women are made stronger by uniting and vanquishing the threat.
As a horror movie, it's mediocre and made on a shoestring. The lighting is so dark it's hard to watch on a tv and the scares aren't very scary. The scares aren't really there to scare the viewer anyway.
As a political statement, the scares just make the viewer angry, which is what Richards wants. She is telling the world that there are lots of people who would cheer for the deaths of LGBTQ people. She wants the world to know "homophobia" is a nice word for "hate." She doesn't believe LGBTQ people are safe as long as homophobia exists, and she is right about it,
As far as the horror goes, the plot is just a variation of 100 other movies where city dwellers fall into the hands of insane hillbillies. The couple is suffering from the same "need a way back to each other" dynamic they do in all these films. In this case, the hillbillies have a special kind of hate, but they aren't much different than the one in the other movies.
What's different is how angry the women are at the people who attacked them. They don't really want to be rescued by the police. They want to waste the monsters and leave the world a safer place. What's also different is how uniting against the common enemy reunites the women, and makes them a stronger couple.
This movie is about the needless political attacks on the LGBTQ community, and the legacy of pain and anger it leaves. The whole point of the movie is that the women are made stronger by uniting and vanquishing the threat.
As a horror movie, it's mediocre and made on a shoestring. The lighting is so dark it's hard to watch on a tv and the scares aren't very scary. The scares aren't really there to scare the viewer anyway.
As a political statement, the scares just make the viewer angry, which is what Richards wants. She is telling the world that there are lots of people who would cheer for the deaths of LGBTQ people. She wants the world to know "homophobia" is a nice word for "hate." She doesn't believe LGBTQ people are safe as long as homophobia exists, and she is right about it,
Underating
andymclovin7 October 2021
Retreat from this movie
cawlztothewall-7612510 January 2022
Like the movie's runtime (and my patience for it), I'm going to keep this review short. Initial suspense? It's what earned the meager extra star of this review. Acting? Eh. Everything else? HORRIBLE. Poor lighting makes most of the second half difficult to watch, not that you'll miss much. Very little makes sense. There was so much potential...
Fun little indie slasher! Give it a try
petarilic328 October 2021
I wish it lasted a bit longer. It's not anything we haven't seen before but it was executed properly, what do you want more from this sub-genre?
Protagonists are very likable, especially Renee. Humor is present occasionally but isn't forced. I wish it had the same directorial angle as in the second half of the movie because the first half is kinda messy.
One of the negatives is that it's way too dark during some scenes in first half of the film, I watched it on highest resolution in complete darkness and still couldn't see what was going on.
Soundtrack is good, it adds to some already good scenes. Pace is tailored for its duration. Granted, characters haven't always made the smartest decisions (during the first half) but then again it's a slasher.
The ending was super enjoyable and gave me chills. 6/10.
Protagonists are very likable, especially Renee. Humor is present occasionally but isn't forced. I wish it had the same directorial angle as in the second half of the movie because the first half is kinda messy.
One of the negatives is that it's way too dark during some scenes in first half of the film, I watched it on highest resolution in complete darkness and still couldn't see what was going on.
Soundtrack is good, it adds to some already good scenes. Pace is tailored for its duration. Granted, characters haven't always made the smartest decisions (during the first half) but then again it's a slasher.
The ending was super enjoyable and gave me chills. 6/10.
A rather generic foray into the woods...
paul_haakonsen23 May 2021
When I sat down to watch this 2021 thriller/horror movie titled "The Retreat" from writer Alyson Richards and director Pat Mills, I must admit that my expectations weren't all that high, as the movie had managed to acquire a rating of 3.6 stars here on IMDb.
But still, it being a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I managed to find the time to watch it.
And sure, "The Retreat" was a watchable movie, albeit a very mundane and generic one at that, especially for a movie such as this, set in the trapped in the wilderness and stalked by killers genre. If there is such a thing.
The storyline was pretty straight forward, but it suffered heavily from being rather generic and predictable. Sure, it was watchable and entertaining enough, but the storyline does leave lots to be wanted. The movie had potential to be much more than what director Pat Mills managed to make it into.
The acting in the movie was adequate. Now, a movie such as "The Retreat" is not the type of movie heavily reliant on Shakespearian performances, so don't consider yourself in for some mind-blowing and amazing acting performances here. Sure, I will say that the acting was okay for the movie, but that was about it.
The overall feel to the movie was just bland. Writer Alyson Richards didn't bring anything new to the genre, and just played it safe by following a strict 'how-to-make-a-trapped-in-the-wilderness-stalked-by-killers' blueprint. So everything you see in "The Retreat" is something that has been done and seen countless times before in other movies of the same type, and more often done better than what was done here in "The Retreat".
The movie was just rather devoid of ghastly things to keep the motivation going. I mean, there just was limited amounts of gore and violence in the movie, something which could have helped promote the overall enjoyment of "The Retreat" somewhat.
It felt a little bit too scripted and too much of an easy ride for the two main characters in the movie as they went through what was supposed to be a harrowing ordeal of being trapped in the wilderness and stalked by killers. They just seemed to stroll through the events a bit too easily. And that made for a rather mundane movie experience, because it was lacking that element of terror, dread, hardship and actually being at risk.
While I managed to sit through the entire movie, I must say that "The Retreat" was actually better than I had anticipated. But don't get me wrong here, because I am not saying that "The Retreat" was an outstanding movie experience. Hardly so. Nay, "The Retreat" was watchable, yes, but it was just too bland and generic actually.
My rating of "The Retreat" lands on a very mediocre five out of ten stars.
But still, it being a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I managed to find the time to watch it.
And sure, "The Retreat" was a watchable movie, albeit a very mundane and generic one at that, especially for a movie such as this, set in the trapped in the wilderness and stalked by killers genre. If there is such a thing.
The storyline was pretty straight forward, but it suffered heavily from being rather generic and predictable. Sure, it was watchable and entertaining enough, but the storyline does leave lots to be wanted. The movie had potential to be much more than what director Pat Mills managed to make it into.
The acting in the movie was adequate. Now, a movie such as "The Retreat" is not the type of movie heavily reliant on Shakespearian performances, so don't consider yourself in for some mind-blowing and amazing acting performances here. Sure, I will say that the acting was okay for the movie, but that was about it.
The overall feel to the movie was just bland. Writer Alyson Richards didn't bring anything new to the genre, and just played it safe by following a strict 'how-to-make-a-trapped-in-the-wilderness-stalked-by-killers' blueprint. So everything you see in "The Retreat" is something that has been done and seen countless times before in other movies of the same type, and more often done better than what was done here in "The Retreat".
The movie was just rather devoid of ghastly things to keep the motivation going. I mean, there just was limited amounts of gore and violence in the movie, something which could have helped promote the overall enjoyment of "The Retreat" somewhat.
It felt a little bit too scripted and too much of an easy ride for the two main characters in the movie as they went through what was supposed to be a harrowing ordeal of being trapped in the wilderness and stalked by killers. They just seemed to stroll through the events a bit too easily. And that made for a rather mundane movie experience, because it was lacking that element of terror, dread, hardship and actually being at risk.
While I managed to sit through the entire movie, I must say that "The Retreat" was actually better than I had anticipated. But don't get me wrong here, because I am not saying that "The Retreat" was an outstanding movie experience. Hardly so. Nay, "The Retreat" was watchable, yes, but it was just too bland and generic actually.
My rating of "The Retreat" lands on a very mediocre five out of ten stars.
A solid modern day holiday horror flick!!!! Definitely deserves better than 3 -4 rating....
pramanik_sayantan226327 May 2021
Solid cinematography, sound effects and a good storyline, this holiday horror flick is definitely up there with the likes of Turistas and the Strangers.
There isn't too much gore, so quite suitable for faint of heart....
There isn't too much gore, so quite suitable for faint of heart....
Under rated movie
ronibhoy-8153511 June 2021
Excited
nrjk-5496911 June 2021
The plot of this 2021 Reteat was brilliant, the only thing that made me not score it above 5 was that the best part of 45mins was so Dark that u couldn't see anything properly! I know it's a horror but the fact there was no lighting at all ruined it for me! Otherwise I thought the plot was great!
Good horror
ropelawshiel21 May 2021
Well acted; the only one I knew was Aaron Ashmore. They all did a good job. Violent and visceral, over the top protagonists, and a proper ending. The theme is a little wokeish. My only gripe is we now seem to be in a PC age where the victims never let loose, giving pain to the baddies; they are often dispatched painlessly and quick ( I want revenge to be seen ) IE the remake of I Spit on your grave, and similar. It did what it said on the tin and kept my attention.
Abysmal lighting.
iamtherobotman20 July 2023
As others have commented, the lighting in this film is far too dark. From around the 28 minute mark or so you can barely see anything.
I get that they're trying to create an atmosphere, but by making a film, i have to presume they wanted the audience to actually see what was happening on screen. Well, they failed.
The opening 28 minutes or so looked OK,even though our two protagonists were quite annoying.
What we end up with though, from what i could make out, was fairly run of the mill for this genre, other than the 'victims being gay, which added nothing to the story in all honesty.
I'd like to be able to leave a review of the film, but i didn't watch a film. I watched a black screen.
I get that they're trying to create an atmosphere, but by making a film, i have to presume they wanted the audience to actually see what was happening on screen. Well, they failed.
The opening 28 minutes or so looked OK,even though our two protagonists were quite annoying.
What we end up with though, from what i could make out, was fairly run of the mill for this genre, other than the 'victims being gay, which added nothing to the story in all honesty.
I'd like to be able to leave a review of the film, but i didn't watch a film. I watched a black screen.
Could have been good
omendata3 December 2021
Far too dark for my liking, even with brightness up full you can hardly see what is going on, not that any of it is particularly interesting.
Becomes a bit formulaic and a bit woke-ish too but acting was competent. Uninventive kills with no visceral gore like they are trying to tone it down these days - would be rated a bit of a 15 cert or even a PG in my book!
Below average 4 hatchets this time round the kill-lberry bush!
Becomes a bit formulaic and a bit woke-ish too but acting was competent. Uninventive kills with no visceral gore like they are trying to tone it down these days - would be rated a bit of a 15 cert or even a PG in my book!
Below average 4 hatchets this time round the kill-lberry bush!
needs more tension
SnoopyStyle21 December 2021
Renee (Tommie-Amber Pirie) and her girlfriend Valerie (Sarah Allen) are going on a retreat to a cabin in the woods. At the local store, Val gets hit on by James (Aaron Ashmore). There are suspicious happenings. Their car is gone. Their hosts are a couple of gay guys and they've been murdered by a masked man dressed in camo hunting gear.
This is a simple horror film. The gay targeting is somewhat interesting but the movie doesn't fully exploit it. I would have Renee try harder with the bear trap. The movie should spend more time with that scene to build up tension. It just struggles to build high tension. The actors are fine and there are some good ones here. The filmmaking is perfunctory. It's trying to be torture porn but It's not good enough. I don't think the director is a horror aficionado and it shows.
This is a simple horror film. The gay targeting is somewhat interesting but the movie doesn't fully exploit it. I would have Renee try harder with the bear trap. The movie should spend more time with that scene to build up tension. It just struggles to build high tension. The actors are fine and there are some good ones here. The filmmaking is perfunctory. It's trying to be torture porn but It's not good enough. I don't think the director is a horror aficionado and it shows.
Great fun for fans of horror!
Guanche4825 February 2023
I liked this Canadian movie, very tense and quite terrifying. It is not bad at all for a horror film, which are usually quite bad and with bad actors and boring stories.
This is the opposite, the actors don't have to act too much, but they do get to it. Yes, the story is somewhat cliché but it has an original tone with the masks and the unexpected ending.
The film is somewhat dark on many occasions but I was able to solve it by modulating the brightness in the menu of my television. Although they could have thought better about the light in some important scenes.😬
I would have put another title to the movie, something more exciting, for example, the forest of blood.. or something like that, the title does not make any sense because the movie is not about a retreat. I think it would attract more lovers of horror movies.
I recommend it!
This is the opposite, the actors don't have to act too much, but they do get to it. Yes, the story is somewhat cliché but it has an original tone with the masks and the unexpected ending.
The film is somewhat dark on many occasions but I was able to solve it by modulating the brightness in the menu of my television. Although they could have thought better about the light in some important scenes.😬
I would have put another title to the movie, something more exciting, for example, the forest of blood.. or something like that, the title does not make any sense because the movie is not about a retreat. I think it would attract more lovers of horror movies.
I recommend it!
The Retreat' might do to Airbnb what 'Jaws' did to sales of water mattresses in the 70s!
Weirdling_Wolf11 March 2023
A young Lesbian couple dismally discover that their weekend woodland retreat yields very little in the way of TLC in this pacy, mean-spirited backwoods blood-spiller! Renee and Valerie are a warm, amiable, greatly sympathetic couple, the retrograde B-villains are deliciously despicable, and the grisly climax is immensely satisfying! While borrowing from 'Southern Comfort' and 'The Zero Boys', this gutsy, lean n' mean off-grid Canadian shocker proves itself to be an excitingly intense, fabulously fiesty femme-led fright flick with a pair of refreshingly likeable protagonists! The isolated, Evil Dead-esque cabin is grimly set against an oppressively vast, breathtakingly beauteous expanse of woodland, making a suitably threatening rural backdrop for our plucky heroines increasingly torturous travails. Tommie-Amber Pirie and Sarah Allen deliver compelling, energized performances, and composer, Steph Copeland's moody synth-heavy score proffers agreeably unsettling vibes throughout. Contrary to the erroneous claims upon the DVD cover 'The Retreat' shares little in common with 'The Hills Have Eyes' or I Spit on your Grave!!!! These blackened hills are NOT alive with the sound of cannibal mutants or rampant sex predators, as these sadistic survivalists have a far more sinister agenda!
Enjoyable if unremarkable ...
parry_na25 January 2023
Directed by Pat Mills (not the mighty comics writer!) and written by Alyson Richards, this is a fairly straightforward horror/slasher production. Not that there's anything wrong with that - you'll have seen the kind of thing before, but at least this is pacey, well made and beautifully acted.
What marks this out as different, is that the protagonists are targeted because of their sexuality. Valeria (Sarah Allen) and Renee (Tommie-Amber Pirie) are a couple, as are Connor (Chad Connell) and Scottie (Munro Chambers) who run the gay B&B where the mayhem begins. I found the characters sympathetic and likeable, whereas the hillbillies (who might well be classed as a victimised minority - when do they get positive imagery in a film of this type?) are brutal, sadistic cowards.
My only problem was in some brief, badly lit scenes in the mid-section of the film, it was impossible to see what was going on. The incidental score, by Steph Copeland, to balance things out a bit, is excellent, and available to buy (although curiously - and disappointingly - the vocal tracks that bookend the film aren't included). My score is 7 out of 10.
What marks this out as different, is that the protagonists are targeted because of their sexuality. Valeria (Sarah Allen) and Renee (Tommie-Amber Pirie) are a couple, as are Connor (Chad Connell) and Scottie (Munro Chambers) who run the gay B&B where the mayhem begins. I found the characters sympathetic and likeable, whereas the hillbillies (who might well be classed as a victimised minority - when do they get positive imagery in a film of this type?) are brutal, sadistic cowards.
My only problem was in some brief, badly lit scenes in the mid-section of the film, it was impossible to see what was going on. The incidental score, by Steph Copeland, to balance things out a bit, is excellent, and available to buy (although curiously - and disappointingly - the vocal tracks that bookend the film aren't included). My score is 7 out of 10.
Could of been a decent slasher if progressives didnt ruin it
oneillgraham-9899627 December 2021
When i say its the worst written film ive ever seen, i 100% mean it. Making the villains anti gay is so ridiculous. And hearing her talk about deer hunting literally pissed me off. Clearly no actual hunter wrote this.
Waste of Time
mikeehrmantraut-3890824 December 2022
Weak script, unlikable, uninteresting characters, poor cinematography, and amateur acting make this picture a complete waste of the viewers time.... I wanted to like this movie, I really did, but couldn't find a single reason to give it anything more then one star. There was nothing that kept my attention. As hard as I tried to watch everything else kept pulling my focus away from the movie. I actually wound up vacuuming while glancing at the TV for a particular scream or noise. This is just a poorly made movie rushed to the marketplace because it has... LESBIANS!!! I find this very condescending.
Pass
alatlantic3 October 2023
This movie doesn't really have anything good I can say about it. Terrible acting, terrible script, and terrible lighting. I guess the one good thing I can say is that it's short, so you don't have to suffer long.
The premise is silly. Is this how that community feels, that there are whole hoards of people with nothing better to do than hunt and kill them? Seems like that might make the news.
So you've got two characters fighting against a nonexistent bogeyman. And the bogeymen who we're led to believe do this for a living are so inept as be to overcome by the two annoying leads. Yep, skip this one.
The premise is silly. Is this how that community feels, that there are whole hoards of people with nothing better to do than hunt and kill them? Seems like that might make the news.
So you've got two characters fighting against a nonexistent bogeyman. And the bogeymen who we're led to believe do this for a living are so inept as be to overcome by the two annoying leads. Yep, skip this one.
Short and sweet.
red-nevermore-smith7 January 2022
Feels like the same old stuff but it's not.
I enjoyed this, it was a little short but it certainly doesn't waste time.
Felt like I was watching actual people in this one and not the run of the mill idiots.
If you like the genre then give this a look.
I enjoyed this, it was a little short but it certainly doesn't waste time.
Felt like I was watching actual people in this one and not the run of the mill idiots.
If you like the genre then give this a look.
No retreat
kosmasp12 November 2022
Also no pun intended - the movie is well told overall I reckon. And the acting is not that bad either. It is however quite predictable - the two main characters and their sexuality should not matter ... hopefully that is. Because what they have going for them, should not matter. Of course that would be true in an ideal world. And if you have issues with it, that might impact how much you will like the viewing experience.
Let's imagine you are ok with them, you might then have issues with the bad guys here (no pun intended either). Yes they are almost comical in their "evil" behavior, but it is what it is ... and there have been worse movies too ... reel back in your expectations and maybe you can have some fun here.
Let's imagine you are ok with them, you might then have issues with the bad guys here (no pun intended either). Yes they are almost comical in their "evil" behavior, but it is what it is ... and there have been worse movies too ... reel back in your expectations and maybe you can have some fun here.
Breaks the horror formula
reasonablewoman6 December 2021
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