I really want to see what Maurice Devereaux will come up with in the future. He's got a lot of great ideas in this film and I'd like to see what he's capable of with a good set of actors and a decent budget. I really enjoyed this; it's got so much heart and does all the right things but, as it stands, it falls a bit short of its potential. It's a great low-budget horror film but it tries to be more than that and doesn't quite make it.
The storyline and plot are both excellent and, while not wholly original, are miles ahead of the cookie cutter garbage that passes for "horror" these days. This is definitely a "horror" film in every sense of the word - plenty of scares, a supernatural undercurrent, impending doom and a strong religious theme. A special note should be given to the atmosphere in this film. Even with low production values, the director created an apocalyptic world that felt like it was closing in on you. The results are pretty horrifying.
Basically, a group of people on a late night subway train find themselves stranded when the power goes out. As the passengers wait, a prominent cult leader contacts his followers and tells them that the rapture is imminent. He orders them to "save" (translation: kill with crucifix daggers and sabres) all the non-believers around them.
Many cultists are on the train and begin slaying people but a group of passengers manage to get away and find refuge in a nearby service point. Cell phones, radios and TVs are all of no use and we find out later that the cult leader has taken over a TV station and is broadcasting the mayhem going on in the city and around the world.
From the start there are scenes that are designed to make you jump and lots of strange occurrences that begin to make sense as the movie progresses. Unless you're really perceptive, I doubt you'll get everything on a first viewing, probably because you'll be busy trying not to sh!t your pants during the first 15 minutes.
All this mystery would be fine if this was a more straightforward movie but I still had questions after watching it a second time. Not major questions just little things that nag me as I write this review. The ending was good, though, and I think I got it. The director did say that he wanted to leave it open so that people would discuss the movie and he definitely succeeded.
If you can put up with the amateur acting and are willing to invest some thought into it, this is a great little horror movie.
