'Prowl' Movie Review (After Dark Originals)

From After Dark Films, the company behind the After Dark Horrorfest, comes After Dark Originals, a series of horror movies produced by the company itself in-house (rather than purchased for distribution, as the Horrorfest films have been handled). Prowl is one of the five films receiving a limited theatrical release on January 28, 2011.

Eighteen-year-old Amber (Courtney Hope) years to break free from her small town. Her father is dead, her mom is a drunk, she's grown apart from her friends, and to top it all off, she's just found out that she's adopted. Her friends don't take her desire to flee as rejection, though; they offer to accompany her on her drive to Chicago to sign a lease on an apartment.

On the way to the city, their vehicle breaks down, and the group hitches a ride with a passing truck driver who seems nice enough... (cue dramatic music). After riding for hours in the back of the tractor trailer, the teens find themselves dropped off in a dark, abandoned slaughterhouse. Or at least they think it's abandoned. In fact, it's inhabited by scores of vampires lurking in the shadows, eyeing the newcomers as their next meal.

Despite a generic title, Prowl features an intriguing premise, effective creature design and some striking visuals. Unfortunately, the latter is uneven in quality, hampered by an overabundance of the we'll-shake-the-camera-so-you-can't-tell-we-have-a-low-budget technique, some disorienting edits and one particularly horrible green screen driving scene.

The vampires are cut straight from the 30 Days of Night cloth: black-eyed, animalistic and intimidating pack creatures. They can't fly, but can run fast, jump high and climb walls with ease -- making you wonder how a group of six unsuspecting teens could last as long as they do in the movie. In real life (assuming vampires are real), this movie should be over by the 40-minute mark. The creatures should have swarmed them as soon as they got out of the truck.

Logic issues aside, Prowl is smart with solid performances and a good level of gore. The plot is a bit too simple for a feature film and ends up dragging in the second half, as the action becomes aimless and repetitive. But the conclusion provides enough of a compelling twist to raise the movie above the pack of average everyday vampire tales.

• Acting: B- (Hope provides a strong female lead.)
• Direction: C (Some nice visuals, but the action is obscured by hyperactive camerawork and edits.)
• Script: C+ (An original but thin premise.)
• Gore/Effects: B- (Bloody, solidly executed.)
• Overall: C+ (Innovative and engaging, though light in material.)

Prowl is directed by Patrik Syversen and is rated R by the MPAA for bloody violence, language and some teen drug and alcohol use. Release date: January 28, 2011.

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