Movie Review: The 8th Plague

Launa's sister has turned up missing after a weekend camping trip to Halcyon Ridge prison. As Launa's panic rises she enlists the help of her friends to drive to the camp site her sister was staying at to try and track her down. After arriving and still no sign of Nikki, Launa and friends enlist the help of the local police force to try and track her down.

At the mention of the campers’ plans to explore the abandoned Halcyon Ridge, the police become wary. As they all head to the prison they inform Launa of the history of the area and the dark and evil secrets that led to the closing of the prison. So they venture inside to try and find lost Nikki and soon they begin to discover the truth of the legend of Halcyon Ridge.

A decent premise promising blood, gore, EVIL, and a blood bedecked babe sported on the DVD cover is reason enough for horror mavens to sit up and pay attention. Digging deeper into the tale of Halcyon Ridge reveals that the age old adage of 'never judge a book by its cover' is indeed true, especially in the case of The 8th Plague. With slow pace and sub par acting, this one slides onto the lower end of the scale leaving us with a movie that could have been great.

The biggest factor drawing us out of the story this time around is the ham handed acting. Most of the cast is inexperienced and unknown, the tone of The 8th Plague comes across forced and feeling much like a high school production. Over the top rednecks, beefy tough guys, and one dimentional cheerleader combine their super powers together to turn this one into a plodding mish mash that could have been fairly engaging but instead starts to feel like a chore.

That's not to say the entire movie is a washout. There are some positives here that make it bearable to sit through. With a plot centered on dark cults and ancient religions, the story here is what saves 8th Plague from the trash bin. The plot and back-story leading to the zombie-esque infestation plaguing the prison is fairly well fleshed out without bogging us down with details. The end result being anyone who gazes at a certain symbol on the wall turning said person into a zombie like attacker (think 28 Days Later zombies; not undead first) gives us a fresh twist on what could be a stale theory.

Article Author: Casey Criswell

Falling in love with bad horror films at a very young age, Casey Criswell strives to bring back the classics in today's modern age of horror remakes. Armed with nothing but a DVD player and keyboard, he charges into battle with his mighty battle cry …

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