He's Out There

Well contrary to the negative reviews I thought this film was actually pretty good. Im an old hat at horror from zombies to Siberian Film, I've delved into most genres. Nothing scares me or is a new concept anymore but this was a good tense 1 1/2 hours. Some jumpy bits and some gore all the great ingredients needed in a horror pie. Yes the kids screams where shrill, but they are kids and were scared after all!! There were also some anomalies where you think, nah that person should be dead, but hey arent a lot of films like that?! Decent film and good to see a strong female lead!

Stop me if you've heard this one, a group of people go stay in a secluded house within a forest and come under attack from a masked assailant. Original stuff, huh!

He's Out There uses that time tested formula and is a mindless slasher film which brings very little originality to the table.

A mother and her two daughters go to a cabin by the lake on vacation, the husband is running late etc etc etc. It's so cliche it hurts, it's 2018 why do they still make movies like this? Don't get me wrong I'm not putting down the slasher sub-genre, what I mean is a generic slasher film that is a near carbon copy of literally hundreds of others.

The film has it's moments (Though nothing ground breaking) but as I'm sat here writing this review I'm struggling to think of what to write. What can I possibly say about such cookie cutter material?

I will say this, the two children are deeply annoying. Being a person who generally despises kids that will probably come as no surprise but these two little "Darlings" take it to the next level. Annoying, unlikable, belligerent and characters like that just make me root for the bad guy!

If you like slashers you may find enjoyment but be aware you'll go in knowing exactly how the entire movie will play out step by step.

The Good:

Haunting opening

Interesting antagonist

The Bad:

Deeply annoying unlikable children

Very little in the way of originality

If you like your suspense/horror/cabin in the woods films without having to think too hard about what's going on, do yourself a favour and check this out. Laura and her daughters Kayla and Maddie arrive at their holiday home, and Dad is due to turn up later than night for reasons. Throw in a possibly creepy stranger, a story of a missing boy and a mysterious tea party deep in the woods, and you have the setting for this tale of one woman fighting for her life and those of her daughters. The film is entertaining, but if you prefer your thrillers with a plot twist or two, this might not be for you. Keeping some mystery around your bad guy is usually a good idea, but if you're looking for at least some semblance of a motive, you're out of luck. One positive however is that Laura, the heroine of the piece, is not a typical dumb victim. She doesn't really do anything stupid to put herself in extra peril. She basically does everything right, but the killer is always just a step ahead of her. My biggest complaint about the film is about the elder daughter, who I'd guess is aged around 10 (I'm not good with guessing kid's ages). Both kids act quite well, and I'm sure they were directed to perform in the way they do in the film... but I was honestly hoping the killer would just take her and shut her up! Yes, she was scared and panicked, but please - be quiet, let your mother think and don't make me shout at my TV!

I'd have just pitched those brats at the killer and let him have them. I watched it purely to see what everyone else was complaining about. They were right! Meanwhile, the film jumped me a few times but I neeeever watch horror/thrillers unless on Lifetime. This one is a step above lifetime but definitely isn't major box office scary. Would I watch it again? Pffft, only if the kids are killed off in the first few minutes.

This movie is actually a love story gone wrong. A masked guy with talents in pastry and painting after living for a long time alone in a forest, falls in love with Yvonne Strahovski (can you blame him?). However, is she already has two very loud hyperactive kids that ruin the movie for everyone. In a futile attempt to fix the move and give himself a very happy ending he tries to bribe the kids with cupcakes and drawings. Kids get even louder, and the audience starts rooting for the masked avenger while checking out info on contraception at their mobiles. In the end our guy just gives up and will probably try to get it right in the next movie.