I just finished watching the indie horror film, Rival. It's about a disturbed young man who goes on a killing spree in his small hometown. We find out that he snapped after the murder of his twin brother. The killer's identity was revealed almost right from the beginning or so we think...
Almost immediately I noticed elements similar to the Scream franchise (character named Gale, black & white mask) but to be fair it's hard to be original nowadays! Almost everything's been done time and time again.
For me what set this film apart was that the teenagers actually looked like teenagers with emotional struggles, high school drama and visible acne! It made it more believable that the cast didn't all look like supermodels. The acting was believable but not amazing. I liked the character of Taylor (I felt sympathy for her, she seemed troubled) but was sad to see her demise at the hands of the killer/her boyfriend. Most of the characters were likable, especially Taylor, the lead and her girlfriend.
There is a bit of a plot twist towards the end of the film that was good but not entirely original. I'd recommend Rival to anyone who is a fan of indie films made with unknown actors. Wouldn't call it a hidden gem but it was worth a watch! 8/10.
Almost immediately I noticed elements similar to the Scream franchise (character named Gale, black & white mask) but to be fair it's hard to be original nowadays! Almost everything's been done time and time again.
For me what set this film apart was that the teenagers actually looked like teenagers with emotional struggles, high school drama and visible acne! It made it more believable that the cast didn't all look like supermodels. The acting was believable but not amazing. I liked the character of Taylor (I felt sympathy for her, she seemed troubled) but was sad to see her demise at the hands of the killer/her boyfriend. Most of the characters were likable, especially Taylor, the lead and her girlfriend.
There is a bit of a plot twist towards the end of the film that was good but not entirely original. I'd recommend Rival to anyone who is a fan of indie films made with unknown actors. Wouldn't call it a hidden gem but it was worth a watch! 8/10.
