Crow's Nest
DVD
Directed by Brenton Spencer
Written by John Sheppard
Starring Mittita Barber, Victor Zinck, Aslam Husein
NR
2012
84 mins
I've always been fond of found footage / first person horror flicks. I'm also fond of IFC horror flicks. When both A and B show up at the same party, that's the kind of threesome I can get behind. And that's just the kind of threesome we're in for with "Crow's Nest."
"Crow's Nest" follows a group of friends out for a weekend at a lake cottage, but the closer they get to the cottage, the stranger things get. Bizarre, partially eaten animals show up along the side of the road. A small town slated for a beer run turns up strangeness of its own. And that's when things start to get downright sinister, with an insane RV driver, unexpected equipment failures, and even worse following.
Given that the guy describes what all is in the camera--1080p with no shake--I'm hoping that there won't be any Cloverfield / Blair Witch moments in here. But the setup is almost too trite to be believed, especially when the liquored-up youths actually start mentioning that most of the other cabins in the area will be shut down, all but guaranteeing that someone's going to die on this trip.
Interestingly, much of the action here takes place in a car, which makes it not unlike the earlier "Five Across The Eyes", but a bit better overall. There are some problems, admittedly; no one ever really mentions how this gigantic RV is keeping up so easily with a comparatively sprightly Jeep Cherokee, for starters, and I'm not clear on the whole motive for the bad guys bit as they never actually say a word whenever they manage to show up on screen. Many of these problems can be at least somewhat overlooked in the interest of enjoying a movie that's a surprisingly potent little adrenaline rush.
The ending is a bit on the abrupt side, with not much in the way of twist happening but sufficiently straightforward to make it sound.
The special features include your choice of English or Spanish subtitles along with audio options, a behind the scenes featurette and trailers for "Asylum Blackout," "The Tortured," and "Crow's Nest".
"Crow's Nest" is kind of a mixed bag overall. It has some excellent twists and takes some rather exciting chances, but it also goes over a lot of well-worn material. There's something of the unique here intermingled with more than a few old cliches. That in itself is an unusual mix, and makes this worth at least a look.