WATCH NOW
It’s fascinating how the number of movies depicting the Jersey Devil is minimal. The story of the 13th child of Jane Leeds, alongside the cryptids and monster tales, seem to lack the attention it deserves. Every few years we seem to get another movie about an animal, or about Bigfoot, or some giant sea-creature. Those animals mostly seem to live their lives, but get caught up in blind death by an idiot gang and humans looking for entertainment. These stories are never straight captivated by an evil force.
This is the exact reason the absence of Jersey Devil in cinema is so peculiar. A being of pure focus on evil. Not a creature gone berserk from new territories being breached by the human race. Not nature instead makes sure people keep their conceit in balance. It is instead a creature birthed from the depths of hell. Set loose in New Jersey, the Jersey Devil rips apart anyone that dares to assert themselves in its resting place. The monster basically acknowledges its prey’s foolishness. The idea behind its existence is already horrifying, and unlike many other concepts of horror we have had, there seems to be no shortage of variety here.
In his latest film, director Dale Fabrigar tells the story of Kelsey (Madison Ekstrand) and Sarah (Sasha Anne), two high school graduates traveling with Kelsey’s father on a mini vacation. Their excitement is short-lived, however, as Kelsey’s father has to first manage a couple of business meetings on land in Reed’s Point. Still behind schedule, the overworked driver of the RV tears through the wooded backroads of New Jersey during the van’s ‘accelerate or die’ phase and ends up crashed into a tree.
When Sarah comes to, she is in the woods. To her dismay, as the driver drags her from the van, he explains, “we’re not alone.” Sarah sees Kelsey Kokush and Sarah’s frantic quarter unconscious. Before she can assure Sarah that everything is alright, a hooded figure pulls Kelsey into the abyss, killing the driver on the way. Left alone in the woods, Sarah’s outlook on life is dim from that moment forward.
Fast forward to one year later, Sarah now lives with Alex (Evan Adams), Kelsey’s boyfriend who was also involved in the crash. Alex and Sarah travel back to Reed’s Point to find answers they desperately seek for the truth of that night.
While the Jersey devil can present himself in a myriad of ways, it will always be flawed due to how much traditional lore there is surrounding it. There is a great deal of history, but it lacks its own internal narrative concerning the creature.
You could pick between the route of wild animals or evoke the supernatural. In the end, the basic idea still revolves around people stuck in the woods getting hunted down one by one. Reid’s Point takes on this obstacle in a clever manner by intertwining the legend with the narrative of paranoia and conspiracy.
Sarah and Alex encounter various people with absolutely unclear intentions. On their way back to Reed’s Point, they encounter the town’s lunatic, Steve (Joe Estevez), who scathes everyone within earshot claiming that the Jersey Devil is after them.
However, he took these accusations a step further by proclaiming an even worse being was going to unleash chaos upon the people. He made an agreement with the local handyman Hank (Anthony Jensen) who was willing to take them into the woods to find the site of their near death experience, but only if he was paid.
Later that night, they unexpectedly met Eric (Joseph Almani), a self proclaimed expert on the Jersey devil who comes from deep in the woods with a loaded shotgun at the front of the house.
Who can provide guidance to Alex and Sarah? Who poses an imminent threat to them?
While Alex and Sarah tend to the locals who may or may not have kept secrets from them, Reed’s Point tries to balance tension and uncertainty. The script also flits about the monster’s identity. Is it a product of vivid imagination, or is there a real monster? There might be even greater benevolent evil in the woods. The answers to these questions remain opaque right until the last moment.
Unraveling the story reveals the film’s pacing to be rather swift. At times too swift. The characterization in Reed’s Point is the components of the center story. Nonetheless, there isn’t much development because this mystery isn’t large enough. Fragments revealing shady land ownership disputes and irked owners are included in the dialogue without squeezing in deep attention and then faded to forget in anticipation of other actions. The narrative would be more convincing if the components were given room to develop.
That does not mean missing the pitch is the only miss for the movie. The plot reveals enough surprises and twists to remain intriguing throughout the entire movie. The best acting performance has to be the character of Hank, who begins as a grifter-handyman, but becomes a reluctant rescuer. Over the course of the film, his character undergoes the most transitions in terms of moods and shades. He manages to stay believable throughout, and the film manages to overcome the challenges it poses quite well when it comes to wondering about his precise position.
As a monster movie, it is devoid of more gruesome elements while still having some. It is not completely void of violence, but when the scene arrives, it does not impact as fiercely as it could unleash. Following the RV collision, there are some excellent gory effects which hint at impressive things to come. But it does not boost up the stakes after that. There are a few remarkably well done death scenes but not to the volume or intensity of terribleness I wish they would have done. To be fair, I am a terrible person when it comes to gore, so any quantity of blood that is less than few hundred gallons can be quite dissapointing for me. Nevertheless, it is not for everyone.
Reed’s Point deserves a watch as it is a commendable effort. The blend of the Monster Movie genre and Thriller is very satisfactory as the recreation is done beautifully. Adding on, the fast pace added does ensure that the movie is not boring at all, while keeping the audience intrigued throughout the movie with multiple plot twists and even a few surprises. If nothing else, Reed’s Point is simply fun to watch because of the Jersey Devil’s cinematic appearance. The character appears on screen with about the same frequency as he does in real life, and you really don’t want to miss your latest chance.
To watch more movies like Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (2012) visit 123movies
Also Watch for more movies like: Forward Unto Dawn (2012)
