OVERNIGHT TERROR // A FILM REVIEW OF “LAST STRAW”

BY MATEO MORENO

Anyone who has worked in the service industry knows that just working a night shift often feels like a horror movie in itself. So, building a horror movie around that seems like a home run. LAST STRAW has a lot of good going for it, even with a well-worn set up in place. Nancy (Jessica Belkin) is a waitress who just found out that she’s pregnant. She’s only told one friend about it and feels sort of “stuck” in her life. She works at her father’s (Jeremy Sisto) diner, Fat Bottom Bistro, a middle of nowhere all-night diner. She’s recently been made manager, but her fellow co-workers think it’s only because her Dad owns it. So, she’s determined to prove herself and earn some respect, starting with the sudden firing of one of their cooks, and “legacy hire,” Jake (Taylor Kowalski). However, he was going to work the overnight with her and now she’s stuck with no one but herself. Which is a really bad move. Soon, the masked goons on dirt bikes return to harass her and to make her overnight shift a living hell. And she’s all alone to deal with it all.

This is director Alan Scott Neal’s debut feature and even though the set-up is pretty formulaic, he and writer Taylor Belkin do cook up a clever twist halfway through this 80-minute chiller. The twist itself works nicely and turns the film on its head, forcing you to take a second look into this night of terror. Jessica Belkin gives a very strong performance and is a strong screen presence. She gives weight to a character that isn’t really likable, yet also one you sympathize with. Honestly, most of the characters are not great people, so it’s an interesting thing to be following their stories and finding yourself still rooting for them. Taylor Kowalski delivers a forceful performance but the 80-minute time frame cuts into really delving into his character development. Jeremy Sisto doesn’t have a lot to do, but he again proves why he’s such a reliable actor when he commands the screen with only a few words at a time. A nifty 80’s throwback score gives a kind of “John Carpenter” vibe to the proceedings and it works well. The finale of the film however does apart and isn’t as clever as the midway twist, but in the case of LAST STRAW, the ride is the highlight here, not the destination.

GRADE: B

WRITTEN BY Taylor Belkin DIRECTED BY Alan Scott Neal STARRING Jessica Belkin, Taylor Kowalski, Jeremy Sisto, Tara Raani, Joji Otani-Hansen. NOW PLAYING IN SELECT THEATRES AND AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND.