Laid to Rest: A Movie Review

Director: Robert Hall.

Writer: Robert Hall.

"Laid to Rest," is a film about multiple murders, cold-bloodedness, and a serial killer looking for motivation in the American mid-west. Going to great lengths to shock Robert Hall takes gore to the limit and beyond in several shots of decapitations and disfigured corpses. Not offering a build-up or back story for the antagonist, Chromeskull, "Laid to Rest," tells a thrilling, allbeit shallow story in a fast ninety minutes flat. Available on DVD this April 21, 2009, "Laid to Rest," must be seen by those who have an interest in a redux of slasher films of the past.

An anonymous girl awakens in a coffin, with a case of amnesia, and witnesses her first case of murder, of a mortician, five minutes outside the box. The female protagonist, only known as the girl (Bobbi Sue Luther) calls the police for assistance only to be let down by a faulty telephone cord. Shortly after, the girl comes face to face with a metal faced killer who, while speechless, is able to express himself eloquently with the tip of a knife. A short battle ensues, with the girl victorious and then this amnesiac makes an escape onto the open road.

Enter character Tucker (Kevin Cage), a lone driver, who finds this mysterious girl, walking barefoot, on the side of the road. Pause for a brief interlude involving jealousy from Tucker's wife, Cindy (Lena Headey), and the mayhem begins to heighten with the first of three decapitations. Mystery girl with new friend Tucker drive away leaving Cindy to bleed out and Chromeskull (Nick Principe) takes his frustrations out on a local who convienently pulls up to investigate only to find a face slash as his reward. Cue some very vague details of the killer, switch settings for another battle, sprinkle in a character reveal for mystery girl and the film closes out with the killer dying in a bloodbath of super glue, cue credits.

The main aspect from "Laid to Rest," that stands out, other than the lack of story, is the total absence of any social message for viewers to interpret. The closest the film comes to offering a life lesson, is that having friends, when a serial killer is on the loose, is a good idea. But how is this information useful? Not delving into any depth of story "Laid to Rest," only sets out to be an entertaining gorefest and the film accomplishes this straightforward yet overly simple task.

Some of the characters in the film offer some uniqueness in their characterizations while others are added in as an attempt to increase the body count. Thomas Dekker from "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," teams up with television series pal Lena Headley, who recently starred in "The Broken," to offer two brief, quality performances. Bobbi Sue Luther, also a temporary guest star on "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," realizes that acting like a person with amnesia does not require a character to be child-like, thankfully, halfway into the film. Several other characters are given a brief introduction including a geek with mother issues, a party boy, and a local convenience store clerk then find themselves predictably on the end of a seven inch blade.

Hall, in his second directing feature to date forgivingly makes a few mistakes, but manages to utilize his second talent for make-up effects by displaying some of the most violent deaths onscreen in recent horror filmmaking history. The beheading of many of the secondary characters shows Hall's flair for assaulting one's visual sense. Looking far too realistic many heads, with severed faces, will make one laugh or scream, in fright, as "Laid to Rest," shows no fear of a restricted rating. However, possibly showing a learning curve Hall adds far too much fog, whether inside or out, to amplify the impressionistic appeal of the film and fog inside interior shots equals unbelievability for this reviewer.

The low budget in "Laid to Rest," can be seen in set decorating, sparseness of characters, and the lack of writing or focus for character Chromeskull, who is likely a relative of the mortician. Chromeskull only shows himself to be a lover of the sunny climates of Miami who has a taste for butchered women and nothing else. Yet, the lack of motivations for this crazed killer seems to be a misstep in the storys writing. Adding too much mystery Hall forgets about the possibility of denouement or character revelation in the final scenes and instead focuses on delivering more of the same, brutal deaths. As well, many of the sets, that look like they are built on a lot do not show any complex design involving colour or props; however, few of these flaws will deter the target audience, of young male adolescents, from seeing this film.

Going straight to DVD April 21, 2009 "Laid to Rest," is a film for those wanting a lot of blood with minimal story. Managing to receive a restricted rating due to the limited restraints of straight-to-DVD cinema "Laid to Rest," puts most of its budget into make-up and effects. And while not breaking any conventions in the slasher film "Laid to Rest," achieves what many other films cannot and that is to entertain.

5.5 Metallic Looking Skulls out of 10.

For a movie clip from "Laid to Rest," check here.

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