Review of Drive Thru (2007) by Timothy S — 09 Jun 2012

In the plentiful world of made-for-video horror movies, a film can be a surprise and better than you ever expected and still be a failure. Such is the case with "Drive Thru", a twisted and mildly amusing slasher flick.

There's a lot here to like, but I still can't quite recommend it simply because the movie never breaks free from its low-budget confinement. It's good by those standards, but not by the higher standards that are set for theatrical releases. The plot is a paint-by-numbers retread of the first "Nightmare on Elm Street" picture without any of the scares of legend-making horror film icon. Horny the Clown is a lot of fun, and kind of creepy-looking in some scenes, but he's never going to be on lunch boxes like his predecessor Freddy.

Like the "Elm Street" movies, the murders are inventive to the point of being absurd (the microwave killing especially had me rolling my eyes), but the make-up effects are well done for the most part. The cast is full of likable, spunky new faces but none are spunkier than the film's star, Leighton Meester. I sure hope to see her in a lot more movies because she's terribly attractive and has a lot of charisma. She sure elevates this B-movie material with her looks and engaging performance.

Also funny is Morgan Spurlock in a winning cameo. I don't know who he owed a favor to in oder to explain this bizarre appearance, but it's one of the film's highlights. With a little more momentum, this film could have made it to the winner's circle, but "Drive Thru" just can't quite overcome its shortcomings. There's a lot here to like, but it just can't quite make the cut.