I'm not averse to B movies for the sake of B movies, and I can forgive a lot for not having a budget to speak of. And this film was clearly a labor of love and certainly didn't have a budget to speak of. The limited budget shows mostly in the audio and the budgetary restrictions of location shooting. I can absolutely live with bad FX on a shoestring budget, and I can live with bad acting too (though Grant Niezgodski stands out among the cast, and Paul Nicely wasn't terrible, either - not dissing the other actors, just saying they didn't have all that much to work with). But the sound quality was so rough that it just took away my ability to manage willing suspension of disbelief. There were elements that were *obtrusively bad* and not in a nod-nod-wink-wink-to-the-genre sort of way.
With more budget and more time (which is bought by a budget) and better production values and music (also bought by a budget), the story had plenty of potential. I will not watch this again - it was not bad in the right ways for me to watch it again - but I might very well watch something else from this director/producer team and these writers. I don't blame them for not being able to afford the location or production values this script needed. Money doesn't grow on trees and you shouldn't necessarily wait 'til everything's perfect to get your movie out there. But this story definitely suffers from being filmed wholly in broad daylight in a random yet clearly inhabited suburb with a shoestring production budget. I really think just filming at night would have made a world of difference toward creating a more immersive mood.
I've definitely seen worse writing, and I hope these guys get a few more dollars to spend next time. The story does keep you guessing, and it's not a bad twist on a few familiar old premises. I'll look forward to seeing what they can accomplish with a bit more budget.
