Reed’s Point – Woodland Slasher 101
Director: Dale Fabrigar
Writer: Tricia Aurand, Suzanne DeLaurentiis, Sandy Lo (Screenplay)
Starring: Joe Estevez, Clint Carmichael, Julia Kelly, Anthony Jensen, Evan Adams, Giovannie Espiritu, Sasha Anne
Plot: A vehicle crash in the Pine Barrens leads to a missing teen which raises conspiracy theories about the infamous Jersey Devil legend. On the anniversary of the crash, Sarah Franklin, convinced her cousin Kelsey is alive, goes out to the crash site with Alex, Kelsey’s boyfriend, to investigate. Things go downhill quickly as Sarah and Alex uncover what really lurks in the woods.
Tagline – Bad Blood Never Dies.
Runtime: 1 Hour 16 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Reed’s Point starts when Sarah (Anne) and Alex (Adams) are involved in an RV crash in the Pine Barrens, Sarah’s cousin Kelsey (Ekstrand) vanishes, with her body never being recovered. One year later Sarah is still searching for answers, working with Alex on a story for the university paper about the Jersey Devil.
Sarah goes with Alex to investigate the crash site, which will see the pair meet the locals that have heard many a story about the Jersey Devil, but now the pair will learn the truth.
Thoughts on Reed’s Point
Characters & Performances – Sarah is left feeling guilty about the fact she survived a crash, while her cousin’s body is never found. Sarah has become obsessed with learning the truth about what happened, leading her to dedicate stories about the Jersey Devil, leading her to go to research the crash site, putting her other friends in danger as she searches for answers. Alex is the boyfriend of the missing cousin, he has helped Sarah research, as he wants the answers just as much as Sarah, he will join her in the search for the truth, even if he has started to move on with his life over the year since the incident. When it comes to the people guiding Sarah and Alex, we meet the locals that has warnings, stories about the Jersey Devil. The performances in the film are solid, without needing to be great, with certain aspects of the story.
Story – The story here follows two friends as they look for answers about what happened to their cousin and girlfriend a year ago, after a crash in the Pine Barrens, only to find themselves in the middle of a much bigger fight to survive, when they come face to face with what is known as the Jersey Devil. This is a story that will play into the legends going on within the world, how folklore can help create fear about certain areas, along with the guilt of being the survivors after a crash. Where the story will fall short, is on how nothing much was done about a missing person after the big crash, there would certainly be a bigger story about someone going missing than the film suggest. When it comes to the main search through the woods, it will see a few twists and turns along the way, which will add plenty to the film, as everything unfolds.
Themes – Reed’s Point is a horror thriller that dives into the legend of the Jersey Devil, stalking, hunting and killing people in the woodland area of the Pine Barrens. The film will keep the vision of the creature to a minimal, which is always going to be a good thing, because not knowing the complete look, adds plenty to the fear going on in the film. Reed’s Point doesn’t go too heavy on effects, using the aftermath for more shock value in the film.
Final Thoughts – Reed’s Point is a fun horror slasher, bring the legend of the Jersey Devil into the spotlight once more.