Writer: Suzanne DeLaurentiis, Dale Fabrigar, Everette Wallin (Screenplay)
Starring: Lance Henriksen, Frank Lammers, Tonya Kay, Jack Betts, Shae Smolik, Gregg Christie, Daniel O’Reilly, Carter Scott
Plot: Passengers on a train that crashes into a river must decide whether to risk waiting for help in the wreckage or take their chances in the murky depths below.
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Brilliantly Surprising Story
Story: D-Railed starts when Abigail (Smolik) a young girl is joined by Everlyn (Scott) on a murder mystery train adventure, preparing for the big event, explained the rules by the Host (Lammers), the lights go out and the first murder occurs. Within a flash it has turned into a real heist seeing the criminals taking the actors and the guests jewellery, but this does leave the Conductor (Betts) injured and the train derails.
Thinking the worst is over Everlyn, Thomas (Wallin) and Abigail look to escape to shore for safety after it appears to be a flesh-eating creature from the deep waiting to feast on them.
Thoughts on D-Railed
Characters – Manny is the host of the mystery journey, he is meant to be the one to give the clues as he is the only one that isn’t meant to be in the room for the murder, he worries about the condition of the train and his actors, when the robbery starts up. Evelyn is one of the guests on the train, she is one of the few that get out of the wreck, trying to protect the young girl within the young girl looking to survive. Abigail is the young girl that is desperate to enjoy a murder mystery adventure, she has dragged an unwilling parental figure and is the one that everything is trying to save. Thomas is another one of the guests doing everything he can to survive and save the young girl. When it comes to characters it does feel rushed in places when it comes to meeting the number of guests or actors or robbers.
Performances – Carter Scott takes the leading role in this film, she shows the desperation to survive through the night and doesn’t panic as much as the rest of the crew. Shae Smolik does a wonderful job for her character, showing a child in peril. The whole supporting cast are strong throughout the film, nobody seems to look out of place even if they don’t get the full amount of time on camera.
Story – The story here follows a murder mystery train adventure that takes a nightmarish turn which sees the passengers getting hunted down by a creature from the deep. This is a story that goes in very different directions, it stays with what seems like a simple train journey, leaves us with a huge part of uncertainty, before turning into a B-movie creature feature, with an ending you simply won’t see coming. While we do have to keep guessing and we never get to feel comfortable knowing where things are going or what we are dealing with, we do jump onto the next stage way to quickly for us to keep up with what is happening to the number of characters we meet. For the pure surprise factor of what happens during the story, we must praise this story, because what better way to keep us invested, than keeping us guessing.
Horror – The horror in the film comes from creature that is picking off the passengers, it is bloody, creepy and doesn’t seem like a creature that could be stopped.
Settings – The film is set mostly on the train, it makes the action feel contained and with the deadly creature waiting on the outside waiting to eat them. Having a trapped location adds tension involved because the people can start turning on them.
Special Effects – The effects are brilliant when we get to practical, with the creature and kills, wonderful, there is a couple of CGI moments with bugs, that just looks cheap though.
Scene of the Movie – The create gets to eat.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Characters don’t get introduced enough.
Final Thoughts – This is a horror thriller that just keeps you guessing from start to finish will continue to surprise you until the end.
Overall: Creature Filled Horror.
Rating