my thoughts on.... 'Last Shift' (an original Creepercast site review)

As with all of my reviews of the independent films that we get sent here at The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
Netflix is like that annoying friend that seems to know better than you. However, no matter how many times they tell you to watch something, you ignore them. Almost out of the desire to not do what you're told, good old fashioned spite. Eventually, they either convince you and you don't want to admit it or you ignore it until 8 years later, once the statute of limitations is past and you finally watch. 'Last Shift' is one of those movies that Netflix kept telling me to watch. All of the Facebook groups for horror films and for Netflix streaming movies, kept telling me to watch. It just kept popping up left and right, it was non stop. I kind of hated it. The cover art really turned me off, but deep down.... the concept fascinated me. I really wanted to keep putting it off and to just let it slip into oblivion, however.... I gave in last night and finally watched it. I hate to admit it, but all the pushing was somewhat justified. Maybe it's not going to change the face of modern horror, but it's above average for sure.

The story line focuses on our heroine, Jessica Loren (played very smartly by Juliana Harkavy), who's a rookie cop that's been assigned to babysit a police station on it's last night before closing down. The entire police department has moved to a new location, but it's kind of a mystery as too why. Little does Jessica know, that she's about to find out the truth.... about the police station, the secrets contained within and how she's tied to it all. Over the course of the evening, she idle's away her time alone, in anticipation of earning the respect of her captain. Things start out slowly at first, but soon more and more things start to happen and quickly take a violent turn. Jessica pieces together that a cult leader and two of his devoted followers had killed themselves after a murderous spree had left a trail of dead in it's wake. It seemed that in their death, they had been resurrected and had come back to destroy anyone in their way. Unfortunately, Jessica happened to be the last victim on their list.
Directed and co-written by Anthony DiBlasi, 'Last Shift' is an exercise in minimalism horror. I don't know if that's a real thing, but that's what I'm going to refer to it as. Simple sets, story line and very few actors. That's not a bad thing. Sometimes, less is more. In the case of 'Last Shift', it worked in it's favor. Not unlike the incredibly creepy and amazingly underrated remake of 'Nightwatch' (1997), starring Ewan McGregor and Patricia Arquette. It's a similar set up and very similar feel, but they are not even remotely the same films. Where 'The Late Shift' succeeds is in it's build up of tension and it's lack of blatant exposition. It allows the viewer to learn what's happening as the characters in the film learn what's happening. You're never entirely sure where the reality ends and where the supernatural or imagined parts begin. It sets you on edge and makes you question what you're seeing going on around you. Where this film fails, is primarily in the last 5 minutes. Up to that point, it's a solid story line, that holds the viewers attention and keeps you guessing. Sadly, it's as if someone was reading a book on cliched third acts and they took a page out of that book and pasted it to the script and called it good. It's just lazy writing and for a film that had such promise, it ended up being a rather big letdown. I wouldn't tell people to stay away entirely. The film has it's merits and is worth the hour and half of your life. I mean, if you've got nothing else to do over the weekend, this would make a great Saturday night popcorn flick.

All in all, I give 'Last Shift' a solid 3 out of 5 stars. It has room for improvement, but with all of the garbage that gets made and then pushed on us by streaming services, it's nice to find a little diamond in the rough. If you like your horror a little bit claustrophobic, with a dash of cop shock, some culty type shenanigans and a hobo pissing on a police station floor.... then this is the movie for you. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one and think there's a little something in it for every creep out there. I'd be curious to find out if anyone else felt as let down by the ending, like I did? Maybe I've just become too much of a jaded horror fan, in my older years. I can't say that I've seen everything, not even close. However, I've seen a lot and at this point I like to wined and dined a little before my date makes their big move. 'Last Shift' got to third base, only to strike out while heading for home plate. I also have a feeling it won't call in the morning. You've been given fair warning, for better or worse.

If you like this film, also check out: 'Nightwatch' (1997), 'Maniac Cop' and 'Let Us Prey'