Rest Stop (2006) (V)

Director:

John Shiban

Writer:

John Shiban (written by)

Release Date:

17 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

The film follows Nicole Carrow, a young woman who is threatened by a maniac serial killer, after her boyfriend Jess, is abducted in a rest stop.

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Highway Rest Stop | Truck Stop | Stapler | Foot Torture

Cast

Jaimie Alexander	...	Nicole Carrow
Joey Mendicino	...	Jess Hilts
Deanna Russo	...	Tracy Kress
Diane Salinger	...	The Mother (as Diane Louise Salinger)
Curtis Taylor	...	The Ranger
Joseph Lawrence	...	Officer Michael Deacon
Gary Entin	...	Twin #1
Edmund Entin	...	Twin #2
Jennifer Cormack	...	College Student
Mikey Post	...	Scotty
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Childers	...	Father

Also Known As:

Rest Stop: Dead Ahead (Australia) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

80 min | 85 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:R21 | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) (cut) | Portugal:M/16 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company:

Flame Ventures

Goofs:

Continuity: The white and yellow ford truck used through out the movie not only switches model years at the end but also from a 1/2 ton truck to a 3/4 ton truck

Movie Connections:

References Superman (1941)

Soundtrack:

All That Remains

What a shame, this could've been good.

If only he hadn't bowed to cliché, Mr Shiban could have actually made a good film from this story. It was just different enough to keep you interested, so for the same amount of time, energy and money as was spent on this stinker, we might have had something good instead of eye-rolling.

Production-wise, it is as good as one could really expect from a hand-held camcorder, so he gets good marks there. It's really the script that's at fault, as the acting wasn't all that bad, either, considering what the actors had to work with.

I thought the days were long gone when we would see someone, finding a radio transceiver they desperately wish to operate, first turn every knob on the thing from end to end, bash it on top 6 or 7 times, and then expect it to work. This story is ruined by a continuous string of stupid moves by all the characters except the bad guy. It's as though we are thought to be too shallow to grasp all the plot devices, so they are all spoon-fed to us to make sure we get them.

I don't know about you, but that doesn't work on me. My attention ends up being occupied by the plot holes and over-dramatizations, not the story.

So, since I found this to be not so bad in the technical sense, I think Mr. Shiban should try again, only with a proper script next time; then he might give us something worth watching.