Director: Levan Bakhia, Beqa Jguburia
Writer: Lloyd S Wagner (Screenplay) Levan Bakhia, Beqa Jguburia (Story)
Starring: Scout Taylor-Compton, Christina Ulloa, Travis Van Winkle, Michael Copon, Tyler Mane
Plot: Four friends travel to a lakeside cabin for a carefree weekend, the fun turns into a nightmare when 3 of them end up locked in a hot sauna. Every minute counts and every degree matters as they fight for their lives in the heat up to 247°F.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Trapped But Not Thrilling
Story: 247F starts by showing loving couple Jenna (Taylor-Compton) and Jamie (Gogrichiani) driving talking about their future but tragedy strikes when Jamie dies in a car accident. Move forward 3 years and Jenna is having a trip away with friends Renee (Ulloa), Ian (Van Winkle) and Michael (Copon) the friends are staying in a cabin arranged by Ian’s Uncle Wade (Mane).
The group are due to a big exclusive party but decide to spend some time in the cabins sauna first, we see how Jenna is very reluctant about going into the sauna and what follows in plenty of drinking and running between the sauna and the lake as the couple Renee and Michael try to play match maker between Ian and Jenna. Disaster strikes when Michael gets too drunk and ends up locking Jenna, Renee and Ian in the sauna, leaving us having to watch the three try and survive heat.
247F builds up to be a simple premise that works well in horror thriller, there is only so much this film could have done. We get the cabin fever feeling as the three friends start to turn on each other but what is good to see is how the people outside really don’t know what is going on. The story does try to keep you on edge but to its benefit we see how the idea would be to not do much to survive so we only see a couple of attempts of escape. The simplistic side of the story really does help make this easy and it never needed to do anything else. (6/10)
Actor Review
Scout Taylor-Compton: Jenna is the friend who is haunted by a past tragedy but is trying to move on with her life, she goes on a trip with her friend Renee where she is being set up with her friend’s boyfriend’s friend. Jenna still has fears of trapped spaces due to the tragedy she experienced years before. Scout does a solid job in the role because she always looks resistant to anything going on. (6/10)
Christina Ulloa: Renee is the loved up friend who brings Jenna along, but it is soon apparent that she isn’t as happy as we first thought in the relationship and holding back her true feelings about the people in the cabin. Christina does a solid job but is there to be the beautiful friend with shallow personality. (6/10)
Travis Van Winkle: Ian is the charming friend that knows how to take control of the situation while remaining calm through the panic filled moments. Travis makes Ian the most likable character in the film. (7/10)
Michael Copon: Michael is the drunken member of the friendship who ended up getting too drunk and not remembering what happened before he passed out. Michael makes Michael the most unlikable character in the film but we also see that he didn’t know what had happened. (6/10)
Tyler Mane: Wade is the Uncle who lets the friends use the cabin, he is happy to let them party and even gets them the tickets to an exclusive party. Tyler is here to add the bigger name in horror and doesn’t really do much surrounding the main story. (5/10)
Support Cast: 247F doesn’t have any more characters in the film, we have people from the past but no one who is around long enough to do anything major.
Director Review: Levan Bakhia, Beqa Jguburia – The pairing do make a very simple horror film that does all it needs to without taking the idea over the top. (7/10)
Horror: 247F puts our characters in a life or death situation with no escape, what more could you want in a horror film? (8/10)
Thriller: 247F tries to pull you in to whether they will make it out alive but there isn’t much you could see the characters do while in the situation. (6/10)
Settings: 247F gives us a trapped location for our three characters where no one can help them in what will be a certain death situation. (9/10)
Suggestion: 247F is one for the horror fans to try it is enjoyable but don’t expect any blood or gore. (Horrors Fans Try)
Best Part: Basic idea.
Worst Part: Not enough tension.
Believability: it is based on a true story but only the getting trapped, the real story the people could turn off the sauna. (9/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Budget: $650,000
Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes
Tagline: No one plans to be locked in the Sauna
Trivia: The true event that the movie is based on happened in Georgia, where this film is made and filmmakers are from. 4 friends were in the sauna, one left for the toilet, locking his friends in – exactly as it is shown in the movie. He never came back, and when he woke up he didn’t remember that he left them in the sauna, and started to search for them elsewhere. Fortunately no one died since they managed to turn the heater off, but they had to spend over 10 hours in the decreasing heat, until they were found.
Overall: This is a claustrophobic film that never makes you think you are trapped but never lets you escape.
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