The Great Dismal Swamp spans over a hundred thousand acres. Home to countless species, it is a place teeming with life… and death. For the top of the food chain lives in a dingy cabin deep in the heart of the swamp, and he has appetite for human flesh. Dana (Lydia Chandler) is failing Biology. Her affliction towards creepy critters has tested her will power and her grade. In order to pass, she must brave a trek into a remote region of the swamp along with several classmates, the newly coupled Gary (Will Triplett) and Shelly (Capel Kane), all-star stud Jamal (Jade Arnold) and his sexy companion Eve (Meagan Reedy). Led by their awkward teaching assistant, Curt (Tim Morris), they soon find out this simple assignment will be a test of survival. Where they are going it’s eat or be eaten.
Dismal is written by Bo Buckley and directed by Gary King. There are strong influences by films like The Hills Have Eyes, Hatchet and Wrong Turn which in my opinion ain´t a bad thing.
The film is well made, it´s well lit, has good camera work and has good editing. The scenery and settings are good. The gore is plentiful and creative, it´s a mix of good looking practical effects and some not so great CGI.
Pacing is great as this film never gets boring. It has a good and fitting soundtrack, the acting is good and especially Bill Oberst, Jr. is great as Ranger Dale.
The review is based on the DVD released by Cinema Epoch (region 1).
Rating: 6 out of 7. Dismal is a really nice surprise and very entertaining! And by the way Meagan Reedy, who shows plenty on the screen, is freaking hot!! If you like redneck, incest mutant killer movies this one is for you!
/JL
Thanks for this review. I'm the actor who played Ranger Dale in "Dismal." Anything good that came out of that performance was due to Gary King's direction and Bo Buckley's writing. I just wore the wifebeater. And the blood :) It was a heck of a lot of fun to shoot.
ReplyDelete