My Review Of "Minutes To Midnight"

"Minutes To Midnight" is directed by Christopher Ray from a script co-written with Victoria Dadi. The film has some names attached to it, William Baldwin, Richard Grieco, Bill Moseley, Dominique Swain star alongside John Hannigan, Christopher Judge, Viva Bianca, and  Mercy Malick....and many more. The talent listed is pretty impressive and worthy for a microbudget indie project like this.

What happens when a night of fun turns into a night of horror?  Seven friends and a mysterious backpacker converge at a desolate ski lodge in the mountains and as the clock begins the countdown to the New Year, they discover that the end of the old year may be the end of all their years as they are systematically hunted down by ruthless masked men with a deadly agenda.

Ray and Dadi'so story is a heavy, well drawn out slasher filled backwoods horror that takes all the traditional but cool elements of the genre and lets loose the beast. Although it lacks originality, "Minutes To Midnight" stitches together these tropes seemless and purposefully. Nothing feels forced or too much.

I was impressed with how well the cast delivered their characters with authenticity. Fully developed, brought to life without seeming coerced or over-the-top. Aside from Bill Moseley, who always rocks, it is the lesser known,  indie 20-somethings that stand out as seasoned performers. Okay there are moments that seem to fall flat but not enough to hurt the overall energy of the movie.

The real star of this one is the special effects and creature design. The psychopaths offer some dominant and chilling horror. Angus being the real nightmare presence that pretty much guarantees sequels for "Minutes To Midnight". Plus there is tons of gore, guts and a hefty body count. The middle kinda lags with most of the drama and story taking center stage and only two kills, but the third act goes full throttle and gives good death!

Overall "Minutes To Midnight" is a nice indie slasher film that is worth watching and entertaining enough to add the collection. I plan to put this one in my stacks, earmarked for a horror watch, both Halloween and New Years. Oh and the cinematography is pretty awesome as well-atmospheric, eerie and quality work. (4/5)