Though I do commend Blanks for milking his gorgeous locations and setting up some beautifully suspenseful moments via camera angles and sparse filtering, the last 20 minutes of the movie is where his direction is most appreciated. The violence is splendid, though harsh. But I can't say that it wasn't warranted and, more importantly, highly effective.
Storm Warning is also surprisingly well-acted considering the minuscule budget. I could take or leave Robert Taylor (Rob) and his poorly written character, although the rest of the cast was excellent, including Nadia Fares (Pia) as his strong-willed female companion. I was most impressed, however, by John Brumpton (Poppy), David Lyons (Jimmy), and Matthew Wilkinson (Brett) as the family of hicks making our leads' lives a living hell. In particular, David Lyons was a standout and was a truly menacing, charismatic, and unpredictable villian that elevated the rest of the family from "cookie-cutter" to "memorable."
Not matter how overenthusiastic I am about Storm Warning, I'm not quite sure how to recommend it. It's ugly, it's brutal, and it's unforgiving, but that's also what makes it so impressive; Blanks' film caters to virtually no one but those with a strong stomach and a keen sense of what "real" horror is. Take that as you will, but that is refreshing in today's world of high gloss and remakes.
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