I’m a sucker for time-loop movies (hello Groundhog Day!), so I wanted to give one a try in the horror genre. And coming from the director of Lights Out, I expected some good things. And while I didn’t LOVE the movie, I also didn’t hate it. It had some decent scares, but a bit too much gore for my taste.
After her sister Melanie disappears a year earlier, Clover and four of her friends take a road trip to the remote area where she was last seen. When they happen upon a visitor’s center that seems to not have been, well, visited, in a long time but still has electricity and the such, using teen logic, they start exploring. One of them discovers an unusual hourglass, one a notice board full of missing posters, and another a sign-in log with Melanie’s name written numerous times. Hmm. Might be time to get out while they can. But, very quickly they are gruesomely slaughtered one by one. Don’t worry…that was not a spoiler. Because they also quickly come alive again and remember what had happened.
As time moves forward, the group realizes they must avoid each progressively more violent slaughter long enough to not only learn more about how to find Melanie but also how to ultimately escape. They also realize this time loop has a “dead”-line in sight, that previous visitors who signed in never signed in more than 13 times.
Will they find Melanie? Will each friend survive each night to make it to dawn? Will they figure out the time loop? Will they escape this creepy visitor’s center and gruesome deaths? Time, and time again, will tell.
Top Scare: Underground
Heartbeats: 3 out of 5
Gore Factor: 4 1/2 out of 5
Scare Factor: 3 out of 5
Recommended for: 17 and up due to excessive gore
Tanya Konerman, Author 