REAPER
(director:Wen-Han Shih; screenwriters: Mark James/James Jurdi; cinematographer: Hiroyuki Haga; editors: Nic Hill/Brett Solem; music: Sean Murray; cast: Danny Trejo (Jack), Jake Busey (Bill), James Jurdi (Brad), Vinnie Jones (Rob), Ian Fisher (Vagabound), Shayla Beesley (Natalie), Christopher Judge (Officer Banks), William Shockley (Buck), Justin Henry (Caine, motel owner), Gabriel Jarret (Joe), Mike Michaels (The Reaper), Dustin Aremburg (Church corpse), Shay Moulder (Church corpse), Joshua Neyman (Church corpse), Michael Rudie (church corpse), J.J. Sicotte (Freezer Corpse), Linda Mendez (voice of Natalie’s mother)Eunice Hong (Hitchhiker); Runtime: 90; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: James & Naji Jurdi/Alejandro Salomon/Frederick Cipoletti; Helios; 2014)
“Demented horror pic.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Wen-Han Shih (“Doomed Love”/”Westgate Tango”) directs this demented horror pic. It’s crudely written by Mark James and James Jurdi, who plays a bad guy in the film.
A death row killer preacher of a cult group escapes execution from the electric chair and returns as a supernatural force known as the “Reaper” (Mike Michaels), who kills those he perceives as evil.
The innocent-looking blonde slut Natalie (Shayla Beesley) is a young lady hitching to California to be with her ailing mom and gets a ride from the lecherous boozer travelling salesman Bill (Jake Busey), who tries having his way with her at the Last Chance motel. But she spikes his drink and steals his money and car, and leaves him tied up in his room. The Reaper enters his room and slays him with his scythe. At a diner Natalie observes a drug deal going down and steals the drugs and a wad of money from the flirty drug mule, Brad (James Jurdi). When her car breaks down on the road, she gets a hitch from the machete carrying trucker Jack (Danny Trejo), who takes her back to the Last Chance so he can meet someone. It turns out Jack is a drug dealer, who has dealings with Brad. The trio soon learn the Reaper is somewhere in the motel and they must band together to fight him. Also after Brad is the ruthless drug kingpin Rob (Vinnie Jones) and his two goons.
The busy B-film is a road movie that mixes together a crime and horror story, with neither story deserving another chance.
REVIEWED ON 4/15/2017 GRADE: C+ https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/