FlixChatter Review: SHORTCUT (2020)

Directed by: Alessio Liguori
Written by: Daniele Cosci

In Shortcut, five students (Jack Kane as Nolan, Zak Sutcliffe as Reggie, Sophie Jane Oliver as Bess, Zander Emlano as Karl, and Molly Dew as Queenie) are thrown into a nightmare when, after their bus is highjacked my an escaped criminal (David Keyes), they break down at the entrance of an abandoned underground military base, where they are menaced by a terrifying and bloodthirsty creature.

When I first read the description of the movie, it sounded like a rip-off of Jeepers Creepers 2. Fortunately, Shortcut is a unique and genuinely entertaining horror movie. The production design is great. The creature design is cool and creepy; it’s mostly kept in the shadows or shown in quick flashes, keeping the tension high and making it look more realistic. There are a couple full body shots of it where it just looks like a person in a cheap homemade costume, but they’re mercifully brief. The score is eerie, intense, and really helps create an unsettling tone throughout the movie.

Acting-wise, the cast is small but solid. The five main characters are teenagers, and the young actors all do an excellent job with their roles; they’re fun and realistic, and even the ones who are meant to be obnoxious are kind of endearing. There’s some dialogue that’s too cheesy to even pass off as teenagers trying to sound cool, but that’s more the writer’s fault than the actors. Terence Anderson is delightful as Joe, the bus driver, and it’s a shame he’s not in more of the movie. David Keyes as Pedro Minghella, the escaped convict, is spooky, unhinged, and will probably give me nightmares with his performance.

Overall, Shortcut is an enjoyable horror movie, and with the focus being on a group of kids and the film not being too bloody or gory, it would be a good one for young viewers just getting into the genre. Shortcut will be released in both theaters and drive-ins on Friday, September 25th- just in time to kick off the Halloween season.