Intruder review

I found this film at my local video store on clearance for two bucks! What was the real selling point was the fact that Bruce Campbell was credited on the front cover. Now, this is a bit of an over exaggeration as he only appears in a blink and you'll miss it cameo. However, this is a good film that's worth checking out.

The premise is simple. A group of employees are working at their local grocery store and the manager informs them that the store will be sold and they will unfortunately all be out of jobs. After a visit from a characters creepy ex boyfriend, the employees are tormented by an intruder upon closing the store.

This movie does create a nice whodunit vibe and even channels My Bloody Valentine in terms of suspense in a confined environment. The fact that the killer isn't revealed until almost the end of the film is refreshing, seeing as so many "slasher" films let you know who the villain is right off the rip. In addition, the big reveal, which easily could have been hammy and schlocky Ala Scooby Doo, is executed well here. The explanation also makes sense, at least as much as a B-movie  horror film will allow.  Also, the fact that this takes place within the realm of reality does make one wonder about if this could happen to any of us.

The performances are pretty typical here. Nothing award worthy but there isn't really a bad performance throughout. Ted Raimi appears as one of the stores stock boys and he's quite amusing in his role. While he plays his typical role of the oddball, it adds a nice amount of awkward geeky humor. Big brother Sam Raimi also cameos with Bruce Campbell in a scene that I can't really reveal without giving anything away. Sufficient to say, the film could have easily gone on without them, but their appearances are welcome.

Also, there are some really great kill scenes. I won't reveal who dies in what way but there is a death involving a trash compactor, one involving a table saw and a persons head, death by meat hook and more. In addition, the camera angles employed here are reminiscent of Argento, particularly the reflection of one character in a knife before being struck down. There's also some really interesting POV angles as well that provide a nice little change of pace.

Overall, this is a good movie, especially for the bargain price I paid for it. It's a welcome change of pace from the typical fare from the genre and it really reminds us of how great B-movies or cult films can be. I wish more films today could capture the same vibe that a lot of these films had, as they didn't take themselves too seriously but still knew how to deliver a good time! Do yourselves a favor and check this movie out. Us horror fans have a duty to keep these movies alive, lest we get more studio remakes and PG-13 crap (Sorority Row anyone?)

Highlight Scene: The scene where the "intruder" first starts to stalk the employees does build some nice tension and it makes us think what we would do in this situation.