Directors: Maclain Nelson
Producers: Ethan Jack Berman, Gina-James, Daniel Green, Chris Guttadaro, James Murray, Kelly Lynn Reiter
Cast: Lyndsy Fonseca, Russell Vitale, Hunter King, Tom Cavanagh
Studio: Well Go USA
For some people
there is nothing more terrifying than a spider, and horror movies have long
used the woods as a location of known and unknown terrors, so it should come as
no surprise that the creature-feature Don’t Move combines and amplifies these
two elements. The results are mixed, thanks mostly to sub-par digital effects
and some cheesy writing/acting, but there is enough fun in Don’t Move to make
for a decent midnight movie with a group of game friends. While it might not
offer many truly scary moments, there laughs to be had, whether they are intended
or not.
Part of the
reason for the emphasis on humor is the fact that Don’t Move is based on a book
co-written by “Impractical Joker” star James Murray, who also co-wrote the
screenplay and has a minor role within the film. Although this is still clearly
a horror movie, it is one that is clearly more focused on a fun experience than
a spine-tingling one, despite the use of a feared critter. Amplifying the
horror elements slightly, these particular spiders are supersized, with a silly
explanation for why they have remained undiscovered for years in a remote section
of a West Virginian forest. When a church group on a camping trip stumble into
the hunting ground of the prehistoric arachnid, they find themselves in a night-long
fight for survival.
Another trope
heavily borrowed upon in Don’t Move is a protagonist plagued by grief. Convinced
by the group leader, Pastor Rizzo (Lyndsy Fonseca), Megan Forrester (Lyndsy
Fonseca) joins the church group despite a tendency to isolate herself after the
tragic death of her husband and child in the film’s legitimately horrifying opening
sequence. The group is also crashed by a small-time criminal (played by rapper,
Russ), who is using the trip to get out of town. Despite their differences,
this group must work together to survive a night being hunted by the large
spider.
The biggest
problem with the film is also the movie’s biggest draw; the monstrous spider.
While it is as horrifying as it needs to be, the digital effects used to create
the spider are rarely as convincing as one might hope. Along with mostly using
CGI to bring the creature to life, it is also more than halfway through the
film before the threat is even revealed. And likely because of how unconvincing
the digital effects are, the spider isn’t even seen until 2/3 of the way
through the film. If a giant spider is the main reason for watching this, expect
to instead sit through multiple Impractical Jokers cameos that have nearly as
much screentime.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4/10
Historical
Significance: 1/10
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