Among the choral films made in recent years is the anthology horror on the road Southbound - Highway to Hell (USA - 2015) is definitely a relevant title. Currently distributed in Italy by Midnight Factory, Southbound is composed of five interlocking stories whose common thread is the sad fate that sews the segments together exposing all protagonists to the evil generated by the road, a hellish place kissed by death.
The final product is a pessimistic film, and the perfect intersection of the episodes that branch into each other makes for a linear and constant strong dose of suspense.
The stories that are part of this acclaimed anthology wrapped in, among other things, an evocative and superlative soundtrack (by The Gifted) are directed by Roxanne Benjamin, Radio Silence and David Bruckner, directors already involved in the trilogy V/H/S, as are also the producers of Southbound. The above-mentioned directors are also joined by Patrick Horvath (Entrance).
Directed by Radio Silence (Chad Villella and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin), "The Way Out" is the episode that spews oppression and anxiety and kicks off the terror. The directing duo also authored the concluding episode ("The Way In") which completes the story started in the first segment.
Aboard their car, Mitch and Jack are two men on the run from mysterious winged creatures that stalk them in the vast, isolated, sultry desert.
Roxanne Benjamin (producer of The Devil's Candy) signs the direction of “Siren", an episode in which the protagonists are three girls who are part of a musical band. The group, away on a concert trip, gets stranded but is rescued by a very nice couple who host them in their home.
Although full of clichés (typical "crazy family" story), the "Siren" is charged with a strong fascination. Some moments of predictability also are replaced by interesting and unexpected twists. One of the musicians (Fabianne Therese) for example, ends up being the incredible character in the next story, serving as a "physical" link to the third episode i.e. "The Accident“.
David Bruckner directs "The Accident", the most evil and rotten episode in the anthology. Composed of a good deal of originality, "The Accident" presents a good mix of fear, pain, and cruelty while not skimping on excellent gore and splatter moments and impressive sequences that keep the viewer in suspense.
A man in his car rescues a girl he finds on the street and takes her to the hospital. In the hospital facility, however, there seems to be a tangle of curse and suffering.
Patrick Horvath signs the direction of "Jailbreak", an episode full of tension and shrouded in a surreal atmosphere, thick with danger and pitfalls. Here, a man is desperately searching for his sister whom he has lost track of for more than a decade now. He will find her in an extremely dangerous village populated by mutants.
With the concluding segment "The Way In", Radio Silence sheds light on the plight of the two men pursued by winged skeletons while still leaving an aura of mystery intact. In this home invasion, two spouses move with their daughter to a new home. Here criminals with masked faces break in, spreading terror and panic within the home.
Roxanne Benjamin, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, Susan Burke, Dallas Hallam, and Patrick Horvath wrote the script for the episodes, while Roxanne Benjamin, Chris Harding, Brad Miska, and Greg Newman are also part of the film production.
In the cast: Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Kristina Pesic, Fabianne Therese, Nathalie Love, Hannah Marks, Dana Gould, Anessa Ramsey, Susan Burke, Davey Johnson, Mather Zickel, Karla Droege, David Yow, Tipper Newton, Matt Peters, Maria Olsen, Tyler Tuione, Kate Beahan, Gerald Downey, Hassie Harrison, Karina Fontes, Roxanne Benjamin, Damion Stephens, and Larry Fessenden
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Southbound - Highway to Hell was released by Italian label Midnight Factory in February 2018. This choral film enjoys an unmissable limited edition (DVD and Blu-ray) accompanied by an exhaustive booklet (with review, info and trivia about the film). Excellent packaging for the Blu-ray limited edition (amaray and slipcase hardback). Subtitles are in Italian and the extras include only the movie trailer.
Blu-ray technical data:
Duration: 89 min.
Format: 2.35:1 1080p
Audio: Italian 5.1 DTHS-HD MA; English 5.1 DTS-HDMA
Subtitles: Italian
Extras: trailer
