Don't Let Him In (2011)

Author: Brett Gallman
Submitted by: Brett Gallman   Date : 2012-01-12 22:52
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Written by: Kelly Smith, Chris Andrews
Directed by: Kelly Smith
Starring: Sophie Linfield, Sam Hazeldine and Gordon Alexander


Reviewed by: Brett Gallman






What if you invited a serial killer on holiday?


Most slasher movies come equipped with at least one soothsayer that intones impending doom for the band of idiots who are heading off somewhere with a sordid history, where they will no doubt do stupid things they shouldn’t do. Don’t Let Him In has not one, but two of these, plus a foreboding “Don’t” title that no doubt won’t be heeded by the characters. So, there’s a spoiler right off the bat I guess: in Don’t Let Him In, they do, in fact let him in, which should come as a surprise to no one who has seen five dozen (or even just five) of these things.

The only question is who the title refers to; our main quartet is headed off to a woodsy retreat (the first indicator that they’re all going to die) and are led by Paige (Sophie Linfield) and Calvin (Rhys Meredith), a nice couple who have been together for a while. Tagging along is Calvin’s sister, Mandy (Gemma Harvey) and her new, shady boyfriend (and suspect number one), Tristan (Gordon Alexander). Along the way, they ignore a hitchhiker (suspect number two) and bump into a gypsy girl (doom prophet number one/suspect number three) who tells them they’re all going to die; she is also summarily ignored, and the group arrives to their cabin without issue. They aren’t there for long before a cop shows up and reveals the sordid history of the place--apparently a guy named The Tree Surgeon roams the woods, carves people up, then hangs them in the tree, and there’s little doubt that least 3/4th of the cast will end up in that position by the end of the movie.

Nothing too noteworthy happens in the interim--Calvin and Paige are the nice, stable couple to the more combustible Mandy and Tristan before the aforementioned hitchhiker shows up bloodied and beaten. Of course, they let him in (oops!), and it seems maybe a little too obvious that they shouldn’t have; Don’t Let Him In isn’t just routine--I wouldn’t be surprised if the script turned out to be a page from one of those paint by numbers books. Fill in here for the “cell-phone difficulties” plot beat; fill in over here for the baffling character decision that unnecessarily prolongs the movie. On that last note, the flick seemingly seems like it’s at a dead end--the killer is locked outside, safely away from the remaining victims, but (surprise!) one of the ditzy girls lets him back in. It’s such a shockingly transparent illogical moment that the director might as well announce that you leave your brain hanging in a tree.

Even the killer’s mythology isn’t all that compelling, though his backstory is aided by a ridiculous moment. As the sheriff explains the local lore, the film flashes back to a previous scene involving a teacher taking her art class out to the woods to sketch some landscapes. One of the girls is drawing this horrific picture of mangled bodies, much to the teacher’s dismay; she expectedly chides the student, who casually points to a nearby tree, which is currently housing a mangled body. This is such an absurd moment that seemingly sets up a wacky, absurd slasher romp, so it’s disappointing to see this go down the serious-as-a-heart-attack set-‘em-up-slash-‘em-down routine. Even this wouldn’t be so bad if Kelly Smith had any inspired kill sequences to play with; instead, we have routine throat-slashings, barbed-wire strangling, and some stabbing sequences that are choppily shot and tightly framed (basically, you can tell someone is being stabbed).

There’s actually another twist waiting towards the end, seemingly there to rescue the film from its previously monotonous events, but even this is terribly telegraphed. Again, the story hits another dead-end, only you know it’s not over simply because there’s too much time left (though it should be noting that one of the film’s saving graces is its brisk 79 minute runtime). The turn of events only manages to confound and muddle things even more, and we’re treated to a dour final act that trades in the woodsy cabin for a grungy, grime-filled industrial setting that can only signify one thing: torture, both in the form of actual physical torment and the killer revealing his worn-out platitudes about why he’s compelled to kill and whatnot. In other words, you’re transported from one overexposed horror locale to another, and Don’t Let Him In adds nothing to either mode.

Indeed, this is worn-out stuff through and through; it’s not that Don’t Let Him In is an altogether terrible film--Smith establishes some moody, even atmospheric shots early on, particularly the fog-drenched forest. However, there’s just no transcending the script, which leaves little room for surprises--if you don’t have the killer figured out (which you should), you still can’t wait for them to finally show up, just so something will actually happen. If you haven’t seen any movies like this, then you might be moderately intrigued, but anyone who’s been down this road before will find it forgettable. It’s been less than 24 hours since I’ve seen it, and I’ve already forgotten most of it, save for the fact that it’s “Don’t” title actually applies to the movie. So give it credit where it’s due--there’s actually a few instances where there is a guy who should not be let in (this is contrary to the likes of Don’t Open the Door and Don’t Look in the Basement, which have plenty of doors and basements that don’t really figure into the films). Anyway, Image Entertainment released this recently on DVD, and it’s a solid release, with an anamorphic transfer and a loud and clear 5.1 track. Extras are pretty abundant, as you get a 40 minute making-of feature, a commentary with Smith, a short look at the visual effects, and a trailer. As rote and routine as they come, this is one to let into your rental queue at best. Rent it!



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