Have you ever watched a film and asked yourself, What happens next? In these heady days of the franchise, Hollywood will happily provide you with a less interesting answer. There are films with huge cliffhangers, such as Blade Runner, where the uncertainty of the final scenes generates a whole school of speculation. Horror films often culminate with one lone survivor, but the relief of avoiding death is surely soon replaced by the trauma of still being alive. This is the pretence of Benjamin R Moody’s new film Last Girl Standing.
Years after surviving an attack by a serial killer, The Hunter, who brutally murdered her friends, Camryn (Akasha Villalobos) is working at a laundry and living alone. She shuns the companionship of co-workers who are unaware of her secret. The arrival of new-guy Nick (Brian Villalobos) changes all that. As Camryn reluctantly gets drawn into his world and meets his housemates, life seems to be getting back on track until her worst fears comes back to haunt her.
Last Girl Standing is an interesting natural progression of the horror genre. Whilst it has been done before, Moody concentrates on the psychological trauma whilst still providing enough blood and guts to keep slasher fans happy. Akasha Villalobos is impressive as the haunted Camryn, afraid to make friends and emotional connections whilst living in constant fear of The Hunter’s return. Last Girl Standing is an interesting twist on the horror genre, which delivers both in terms of terror and body count.
Last Girl Standing is released by FrightFest Presents and is available to download from Monday.
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