Warner Brothers is expanding their branding by starting the Raw Feed branch. This new arm of the Warner empire will focus on horror, science fiction, and thriller genres.

They will be direct-to-DVD releases, with Rest Stop being their initial offering. At the moment there are no other titles announced for the label, but one will hope for the best as they work on getting Raw Feed off the ground.

Rest Stop is a gritty little horror thriller trying to do a little too much with too little. It is an interesting exercise, dabbling in the current trend of torture films tossed with a little old school slasher style and just a touch of the psychological. Unfortunately, the final concoction was taken out of the oven too soon, leaving it undercooked and deflated. Still, there is something about it I did enjoy, just not enough to recommend.

We start with a young woman making use of rest stop facilities. She is decked out in the fashion of the 1970's while music reminiscent of the era plays in the background. Before long a figure clomps into the bathroom, much to the protestation of the woman in the stall. Her fears turn into reality as the man attacks her and drags her off. And so begins the terror of Rest Stop.

The story kicks off with Nicole sneaking out of her parents’ house and running off with her boyfriend, Jesse. The love struck couple set off on a trip to California, chasing the stars in their eyes and escaping their home of Texas. Before long, the couple has a run in with the driver of an old yellow pickup truck, setting up the horror of what is to come.

Nicole needs to make a pit stop, so Jesse pulls over at one of the dirtiest, most disgusting rest stops you're likely to see. I would have braved it out on the dirt rather than use this thing. She comes out to find Jesse and their car missing, and herself being stalked by the man in the pickup.

What follows is the usual survival horror fare. The girl must survive the night while being pursued by evil incarnate with a little help along the way from the occasional visitor. It starts off a little slow, but once the initial post-Jesse disappearance encounter occurs the speed starts to pick up. Shortly after that the blood begins to flow. This is one of the more refreshing aspects, as I always enjoy a little blood with my movies.