first caught my attention while browsing selections at Redbox.
Then I read the summary: "A group of punk teens are terrorized by a park ranger's brand of psychotic justice in Blackwood Point National Park." Oh, man, that's exactly my kind of outdoorsy horror flick!
Jeremy Holm plays the psychotic ranger.
And Chloe Levine is Chelsea, the punk teen protagonist.
Chelsea and her anarchist friends manage to get on the wrong side of the law and flee the city in their van.
Within about ten minutes, I already wanted someone to murder all of these punks. And once they entered the park and did moronic things in the forest, I began hoping for some kind of torture, too.
Ultimately, the movie did not disappoint. It's a low-budget horror film, but it makes the most of what it's got. The natural setting is beautiful, shot in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York's Appalachian Mountains.
The acting is decent and does not distract from the story, which is pretty tight and interesting, for the most part. The dialogue and special effects at times had me laughing, making it a sort of comedy horror, because I think the cheese was mostly intentional. The real redeeming aspect of this movie, however, is its treatment of those who disrespect our national parks. If you've ever had ill thoughts about punks who blare loud music on the trails, you should rent The Ranger.