Saturday, February 26, 2011

#204. Shuttle (2008)


Directed By: Edward Anderson

Starring: Tony Curran, Peyton List, Cameron Goodman



Tag line: "All they wanted was a ride home"

Trivia:  The Portuguese title of the film is PASSENGERS OF THE NIGHT











Horror movies - especially good horror movies - have a knack of making you think twice before doing things that, under normal circumstances, you would do without hesitation. Jaws kept millions out of the water, and Friday the 13th (as well as it's plethora of sequels) couldn't have been good for the camping industry. 

Now, we have Shuttle, and after watching this film, I think it's safe to say I'll be driving myself to and from the airport from now on! 

Jules (Cameron Goodman) and Mel (Peyton List) have just arrived back in town. Exhausted from their late-night flight, the two are trying to flag down a shuttle bus that will drive them home. As luck would have it, they not only find a shuttle, but the driver (Tony Curran) offers to transport them for half of what other services charge! 

Joining the girls on this bus are a shy accountant named Andy (Cullen Douglas) and two guys, Matt (Dave Power) and Seth (James Snyder), who are hoping to hook up with Jules and Mel before the evening is out. What starts as a simple ride home, however, quickly turns into a nightmare on 4 wheels when the driver kidnaps them all at gunpoint and demands that they turn over their money and valuables.  

Yet, as the evening progresses, it becomes increasingly obvious their captor has more on his mind than simple robbery. 

Shuttle succeeds on a number of levels. First, it's an effective mystery; like the characters trapped on the bus, we spend much of the film's runtime trying to figure out the driver's motives. He certainly wants something other than money, but what is it? The film is also a taut thriller, and contains a number of very tense scenes (not to mention a few surprises). 

Finally, Shuttle works as a horror movie, which kicks into full gear once we start putting the various pieces together, and realize the hell that's in store for Mel and Jules once that bus reaches its ultimate destination. 

Shuttle is an independently produced gem, a well-acted, fast-paced thriller that throws a number of shocking twists and turns our way. But more than this, like all good horror movies, Shuttle will stay with you for a long, long time. Watch this film, and I guarantee you'll never look at those airport buses in quite the same way again.








2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds interesting shock. Nice to see you venturing into indie movies, I think billshete is rubbing off on you. :) I like supporting the low budget films, they always bring something to the table the studios dont.

Perry Strauss
Houston, Texas, United States
The Rockets Rule!

DVD Infatuation said...

Perry: Thanks for the comment, and for stopping by!

It's funny you mention Billchete...he was the one who recommended this film to me! I had seen the trailer for it a few times before, and after he brought it up, I thought I might as well check it out. Needless to say, I was VERY impressed!

As for supporting low budget/indie films, well done! As the studios continually recycle the same material over and over, the indies are setting the standard for originality.

The next episode of Planet Macabre has been recorded, and will be available early tomorrow morning. As a fan of indie films, you won't want to miss it!

Thanks again for the comment, and for listening to Planet Macabre.