Salvage is a great independent horror flick. Written and directed by Joshua and Jeffrey Crook it runs 79 minutes of complete dysfunctional madness.The opening credits are quite unique with a continuous shot running through a junk yard(or salvage yard as they call it) ravaged with vehicles. There's something extra pretty about the coloration and hues that are used, all the blues and greens. It also gives off an extremely desolate and lonely feel. I think it's because the area is so wide open and clear,there's no traffic,people,skyscrapers..just the blue skies,dead corn fields,and green grass. We are quickly introduced to Claire(Lauren Currie Lewis) a cute teenage girl working as a gas station attendant. She shuffles outside to wait for her boyfriend Jimmy(Cody Darbe) to pick her up, but instead is met by a stranger named Duke(Chris Ferry) driving Jimmy's truck. Not knowing yet what to make of it she accepts the ride concluding that Duke is an old friend of Jimmy's. When they're partially through the ride, Claire begins to notice that something is definitely amiss with Duke. They arrive at her house and she jumps out and gets inside fast. Being the respectable generous man Duke is, he brings Claire her star earring before he sneaks in through her backdoor and mindlessly slaughters her. But that's not the only time, he assaults and murders her throughout the course of the film. Claire finds herself in a repetitive death spiral swirling around and around. She's trapped with a few familiar faces including her boyfriend,best friend,mother,and work associate at the gas station. She wanders from place to place trying to make sense of all the madness only to come face to face with her demise. Place to place...face to face..why does that bother me that I just wrote that. Haha, anyways turns out that she is indeed one dead sucka. The story doesn't stop there, oh no not yet! It travels at a decent pace through her struggle to get off a never ending marry-go-round of death. The result is a head on collision into deception,terror,and the afterlife.
The cinematography is marvelous! The shots look astonishingly professional. The dialogue is awesome as well it's never to cheesy,and not to far fetched. The realistic quality of the film makes it that much more creepy. Now if your looking for a balls out gore fest this movie is not the one to look for. But if your looking for a mindfuck psychological edge-of-your-seat type flick, this will be right up your alley! I really appreciate this movie for all it's meant to be. The weird thing is I don't have one bad thing to say about this flick. The locations,acting,FX,dialogue,stunts,laughs,supporting actors were all pretty good. So I really can think of nothing to complain about. Let's talk a little about the actors for a minute though. Lauren Currie Lewis was good as the confused and scared victim. I don't know if anyone would take offense to this kind of comment, but she plays a really good victim. She brings the right type of frightened to her performance, and it makes for very effective scares. Especially with an independent flick that doesn't have a very big cast. You need that right person to put the audience into freak out mode, and you can't do that with bad actors. So kudos for casting Lauren she plays her part well. I can also say the same thing for Mr. Chris Ferry as the murderous nutbag Duke. His appearance brings a lot to the part in general. He has a very intimidating look that really irks you. The way his eyebrows arch,his dark empty eyes,and his Michael Myers stature. You really get the feeling like "wow, if I met this guy in person I might keep my distance". He's not some mythical movie monster,he's a normal everyday guy,and that my friend is what puts the fear into people. I thought I had the ending figured out it was all like "SURPRISE ALEATA". I had made the wrong assumption, and that's a rare occurrence for me. Film makers usually assume what the audience is thinking and take another twist to confuse them. Well in Salvage they twisted the twist if you get what I'm saying. But the surprise ending fits the story perfectly and it's refreshing to see something classic mixed with a little insanity. The interactions and conversations between Claire and Jimmy are side splitting. They have a disposable yet hilarious relationship, and it adds some comedy touches to the story. The "bitch are you crazy" line was the best! I love the dream-like quality to it as well, how Claire keeps running and running but always ends up in the same place again. The thought is really unnerving and also proves positively effective.
Movie Fun Fact: This movie was shot in Ohio..why was I not surprised? Oh the cow lands and corn fields gave it away.
This flick is AA Aleata Approved! 5/5 Stars!
For more information on the Crook Brothers and their films you can visit:
www.crookbrothers.com
