End of the Line

The reputation that preceded this film made me expect something better. On top of that, selling something that only shows up in two very short scenes (if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know) as the film’s biggest attraction feels like a scam. You wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and when it finally arrives, it looks ridiculous and it’s followed by the ending. The basic idea is great, tailor-made for horror, but it deserves a better execution, though the result is still pretty decent considering the low budget. What ruined my experience the most were the actors, who don’t have a hint of charisma or talent. Really, there are many scenes whose great potential is literally tangible, but the shabby performances bring them to the ground. It’s not that terrible at the beginning and by the end, but the middle part, when the story slows down and the characters mostly talk and interact in various ways, the quality drops to about two stars. My slightly excessive rating of 7/10 owes to the brilliant premise, my weakness for horror set in underground spaces, the boldness of some scenes and the effective jump-scares (there three or four in the first half that almost gave me a heart attack). (16/11/2008)