Plot: What’s it about?
Nicole Carrow (Jaimie Alexander) isn’t the kind of girl to take big risks, but she has just taken perhaps the biggest risk of her life. Without even telling her parents, Nicole has hit the road and is headed to California, but she hasn’t gone alone. Her boyfriend Jess (Joey Mendicino) is behind the wheel and while they know they want to end up in California, not much else is certain. The young couple considers trying to make a living as movie stars, but that seems unlikely, even to them. Fame and fortune aside, the two have no real plans and on the way, Jesse learns his cousin won’t be able to share his home. In other words, Jesse and Nicole not only have no real plans once they arrive, but they won’t have a place to live. This has Nicole freaked out and even pissed off, but the trip continues on. When Jesse leaves the interstate for a shortcut and the couple ends up at a rundown rest stop, things don’t seem like they could get much worse. While Jesse waits in the car, Nicole uses the bathroom, which hasn’t been cleaned in what looks like decades. As she walks out, she doesn’t see Jesse or the car, but she assumes he is playing a prank on her. When he doesn’t return and a strange man in a yellow truck shows up, what will this dark night hold for Nicole?
This film was hyped as the first release from Raw Feed, a new label devoted to horror & sci/fi cinema, with promises of liberal bloodshed and violence. Rest Stop starts off well enough and seemed to have some potential, only to die a slow, painful death. The slow death involved isn’t one of the victims however, its entertainment, as this is one dull movie. I love horror movies, even bad ones, but I hate boring movies and about one third of the way through Rest Stop, its total boredom. The family on the RV was cool, no doubt, but outside of that, I found nothing else to praise here. The story is not unique in the least and the execution is piss poor, tension isn’t maintained and this one just doesn’t have the kick it so desperately needs. You can tell that the filmmakers wanted to be perverse and twisted, but it doesn’t work here. A couple of shots of a drill going into a leg don’t qualify as “blood drenched,” especially when you’ve hyped the film as over the top in its gore & violence. The writing is bad, even by bad horror movie standards, with so many desperate leaps in logic, even forgiving fans are bound to just give up. Rest Stop is just a bad movie. Not shocking, not perverse, not memorable, just a boring and overhyped film that deserves a quick death. Let’s hope Raw Feed can deliver next time, both in terms of gore and a decent storyline.
Video: How does it look?
Rest Stop is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. This movie has kind of a worn, 70s wannabe type visual design, so this isn’t the normal transfer. As it stands, black levels seem a tad light at times and in this case, that’s bad news. The contrast remains solid and acceptable, but since this movie has so much darkness, its still quite obvious. The print is in excellent condition however, with zero grain evident and no sign of debris I could detect. I found colors to be muted, just as intended, though some hues come across in bold form at times. This still manages to be a great visual presentation, but it could have been better.
Audio: How does it sound?
The movie might suck, but the soundtrack is actually quite good. The premise lends itself to immense tension and atmosphere, which are enhanced by the included Dolby Digital 5.1 option. The surrounds kick hard and often, even in more reserved sequences. But the gloves come off in the assorted chase sequences, which is when the surrounds get down to business. The speakers use power, range, and depth to put you in the middle of it all. I found the LFE use to be superb also, as it has some serious punch in numerous scenes. The dialogue is clean and clear also, with no volume balance problems to report. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This unrated version includes some crime scene photos, a family album gallery, three alternate end sequences, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
