Jump Scare review
Metal might not be dead…but this band will be if they can’t learn to work together.
Festival movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Jump Scare
Directed by Donnie Hobbie
Written by Donnie Hobbie
Starring Shannon Dang, Erin Ruth Walker, Madison Abbott, Chelsea Talmadge, Natasha Estrada, Casey Morris and Eric Roberts
Jump Scare Review
As with every feature at Soho Horror Film Fest…we need to begin with the short film(s) that preceded the movie. First up was Grunge. The short fit the feature like a glove in this case. It’s also about a band who find themselves in some rough circumstances. In this case…the circumstances are of their own making. It’s too short to get a good read on the characters…but it’s understandable why it was attached to Jump Scare given the conceptual parallels.
The second short was accurately called Did You Remember the Cat. In essence, we see a couple running out of a haunted house having survived a horror movie we didn’t watch. As they’re about to get away…they remember they forgot the cat inside the house. Relationship issues are examined while they try to rescue their furry friend from the monster that has invaded their home. This was a pretty good short. It isn’t as obvious why it was chosen to pair with Jump Scare…but sometimes these things feel a bit more random than others.
The premise of Jump Scare is an exciting one. Especially if you’re a fan of old school slasher movies. An all-female metal band heads to a remote cabin…which happens to be the last place their favorite band was ever seen. They want to write a new album, reconnect with their returning guitar player…and, ultimately, survive the whole ordeal. Amidst arguments about the future of metal and personal disputes…they discover why the last band to rent the cabin was never seen again. Namely, the cannibal family that lives next door.
Unsatisfied with a simple throwback premise, Jump Scare (which features no jump scares) opts for an over-the-top 70s film style. Fake scratches on the film, washed out visuals…you pretty much know what to expect. Sometimes. The movie also plays around with aspect ratio. At times its story unfolds on a 4:3 (old school television) ratio. At times it switches to widescreen. If there was a rhyme or reason to it I never caught on. The movie also uses some postproduction tricks to layer in some laughs. Text pops up on the screen from time to time…always in service of a chuckle or two. The opening titles go full on experimental film. Basically, Jump Scare is all about style.
That plan starts things off hot. Jump Scare has an engaging first act as we meet the band members. Kye (Shannon Dang) is the bandleader. She argues in favor of sticking to their metal sound…the others think it might be a dead genre. Jen (Erin Ruth Walker) has returned to the band after a two year absence. She isn’t sure she fits into the group anymore. Debbie (Madison Abbott) and Val (Chelsea Talmadge) round out the group. They’re accompanied by their male producer Dale (Casey Morris). They have little time or respect for Dale. Which is ok…since Dale is going to meet the neighbors fairly quickly after arriving at the cabin.
The personalities and the drama inside the band make for a strong group of leads. There are conversations full of cutting words, deadpan reactions and an overall entertaining tone. When act two rolls around and the band begins to contend with their neighbors…the tone carries over. It results in a unique feeling slasher movie with some good laughs and aloof character choices. The payoff to a conversation about how sneezes come in threes has an amazing payoff, for example.
The problem is that the tone never changes…and it begins to wear out its welcome after a while. The second half of Jump Scare begins to feel like a grind. The stakes feel like they’re getting lower as the story goes on…because every scene of danger is longer than it needs to be…and there aren’t enough payoffs. If slasher kills are like jokes, a good chunk of Jump Scare feels like a long set-up without any punchlines.
We still have the revenge section to look forward to. Jump Scare wisely follows up a lot of waiting around with a quick hitting scene of purposely comical special effects. Some of this works because of some of the things that don’t…which leaves Jump Scare feeling a bit off. Kye and Jen are good enough characters to keep you engaged with the movie while it is faltering…but the pacing starts to unravel the overall effect of the movie. The commitment to style ultimately dragging down a strong start.
Scare Value
Jump Scare gets off to a strong start. The band heads to a cabin for inspiration and ends up arguing and doing recreational drugs instead. Soon enough, they’re dealing with the murderous, cannibal family down the road. What works for the first half of Jump Scare struggles to land in the second half. Things start to go on a little too long, dragging down a promising beginning instead of ramping up the excitement.
