Ambitious low to no budget effort that strikes cords most small budget offerings don’t try to hit. The film is visually interesting, filled with nice shots, dreadful mood and interesting flashbacks. Bowker teases the audience with the flashbacks, not giving it all away till the last frames. The film definitely doesn’t go the way you think it’s gonna go. 

Having four girls who are not afraid to take off they’re clothes, drunk in a deserted house, Arrow was expecting a crazy lesbian scene (secretly hoping). But the film doesn’t go that way. We do get nudity and Beaton in her underwear but Bowker gets it both ways. Gives enough skin to satisfy the horror porn fan but relies on the story and the characters to drive the film. That’s right people, a low budget horror film that’s character driven! 

It helps that Beaton is very credible in the part of Serena and that the film’s main focus is her pain and relationship with her friends (specially Rachel). If she would have sucked, the film would have sucked along with her. I sometimes forgot I was watching a genre film and thought I was witnessing a drama.  Well written drama in this kind of film is quite rare and took me aback. 

When it comes to  it's scares the film takes the old fashion route. It relies on creepy voices, dark figures and creepy tunnels to put the “py” in creepy. I will be honest and say that I was not scared once but I admire the effort. 

The film does fall in the general haunted house traps, the main one being: Why the hell are you staying in the house when you know it’s haunted!!!!!!! The film does find half ass reasons to keep the gals in the shack and we have to buy it so we can go on. I half bought it…cause I wanted to and I went on. 

My main problems with the film are: 

1- The “strobe” light effects. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for strobe lights (Hey I liked Halloween 6) but in this case they are used too frequently and it’s virtually impossible to see what’s going on when the lights are flashing. I feel liked I missed a lot of the movie due to that damn light. 

2- In his effort to surprise the viewer, Bowker gives us many twists, dream sequences and a purgatory sequences (I think it was purgatory). On a visual standpoint it’s very interesting, giving the movie a kinda of Lynchish feel but on a narrative vibe…Arrow got a bit confused.  It gets a tad convoluted. 

3- The film as a lot of ideas, some work and some don’t. Sometimes scenes work well on paper but fail on the screen. The only example that comes to my mind when it comes to this film is the scene when the spirit of Tyler meets Serena in purgatory. The scene I’m sure looked great on paper but comes across as way corny on screen. It took me out of the film a bit.