Review of Laid to Rest (2009) by Camden N — 14 May 2009

While it won't gain any points for originality, this was still an enjoyable, competently made piece of work with some great gore effects. I don't think Chrome Skull will go down as a new horror icon like the filmmakers might have intended, but he was still a pretty interesting slasher.

What makes this one stand apart from most modern horror films is the characters (and the actors who play them). The film's backbone is the relationship (not sexual) between Kevin Gage and Bobbi Sue Luther, and they succeed in gaining your sympathy. The real star of the show, though, is Sean Whalen! He's the kind of guy you'd normally dismiss as a loser, but he ends up being the most endearing and amusing of the characters. You end up rooting for him specifically because he's so frightened by the killer and disturbed by the dead bodies, but he still pushes on. He ends up striking you as the most sympathetic of all, and it's a testament to Sean Whalen's abilities that he made the character so memorable (in a sort of Andy-from-Twin-Peaks sort of way). Another plus is that he reminds me a lot of James Woods, who is pretty much the coolest actor of all time.

While not a modern classic like Inside, this is still a good movie made by people who love the genre, and it's a real shame that movies like this get dumped on DVD while a new Saw movie is shat into theaters each year.