Laid To Rest (2009)

Running Time: 90 minutes

Release Date: March 18, 2009

Review by: Stacey

You know those movies that aren't good, but they also aren't quite bad?  Those movies that you can't stop watching but you can't wait until it's over.  I call those "purgatory" movies.  I've been meaning to watch Laid To Rest for several years and now that I've finally gotten around to it, I can add another one to my "purgatory" movie list.

 

A woman (Bobbi Sue Luther) wakes up in a casket with no recollection of how she got there or who she is.  Once out of the box, she realizes she's been abducted by a serial killer and makes a run for it in a rural town.  With the help of two men she meets along the way, she must do everything she can to survive.

 Director Robert Hall, who has quite the resume as a special effects makeup artist, enlisted a surprisingly good cast of folks for Laid To Rest but I'm not quite sure I can back the lead female's performance played by Luther (also Hall's wife).  I was really hoping that we'd see her go from helpless victim to badass final girl, but sadly it seemed like she just cried a lot and let everyone else get killed without being much of a help at all.  It was cool to see Sean Whalen (as Steven) in another horror movie; in case you forgot, he played Roach in Wes Craven's The People Under The Stairs.  Hell, even Johnathon Scheach showed up for a moment.

 

Speaking of, the shining moments in the film were without a doubt the kills.  Holy crap, they were gory as hell and pretty damn realistic.  With Hall behind the helm, I'm not surprised the effects were as good as they were.  The kills alone would be enough to keep you invested in the film, but the killer, Chromeskull (Nick Principe), made it that much better, especially with his chrome mask and brass knuckle knives. 

 

You're probably thinking "Wth, Stacey, it sounds like you liked this movie a lot, why the purgatory pile?"  Well, as I had mentioned, the acting of some characters was meh at best; it might have had to do with the writing which really wasn't that great.  The story itself wasn't interesting and didn't bring anything new to the table.  Hall seemed to throw logic out the window during a lot of points in the movie.  On the bright side, despite some slow points, the pacing usually picked up and kept running, seldom leaving moments for the viewer to get bored.

 

Even though Laid To Rest is going into my "purgatory" pile, it's definitely going to be added to my dvd collection in the near future.

p.s. Review for the sequel, Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2, coming shortly!
 

3/5 shitty work shifts

Check out the trailer below and watch the movie on Shudder!