Malum

Anthony DiBlasi made a reimagining of his own 2014 horror film Last Shift, where he was given a bigger budget and could have gone wilder. While I'm not a fan of directors remaking their own films (he could have easily come up with something else), I have to admit that this is a decent demonic, psychedelic and atmospheric hell that surpasses even the 2014 original, which was too intimate and not as hard-hitting for my taste. The plot structure is similar, we have a likeable protagonist who volunteers for the last shift at a newly shut down police station to learn about her father's death and a mysterious cult. But this shift is going to be a literal nightmare and a hallucinogenic hell. The first 40 minutes are a little slower, we're introduced to the main character and the mythology surrounding the police station, but once the homeless man shows up a decent demon ride begins, where the more the merrier applies for me. The practical effects are a pleasure, the appearance of the demons is properly creepy, disfigured masks, all covered in blood, hanged men, some gore, a great dark atmosphere where you hold your breath (this is what Resident Evil should have looked like in a police station!!), and monsters that look as if they came out of Silent Hill or Hellraiser, accompanied by adrenaline music and the main heroine (at the end beautifully covered in blood (bringing instant memories of Inside, Martyrs, Macabre, Evil Dead – that's freakin awesome), flashlight, gun-armor – all evoking a good horror video game – and the final twenty minutes are action packed as they should be. For an indie genre film, above average horror entertainment with strong craftsmanship. Unexpected surprise. 8/10. (31.05.2023)

This is an excellent horror movie. Definitely in my top 5! The action (and quite a bit of gore) starts right from the beginning, so you're literally glued to your seat and it doesn't let go until the very end. Since everything takes place in one location (an old-school police station at night), the atmosphere is extremely grim, and the music and sound effects complement everything perfectly. I highly recommend using headphones and dimming the lights for the ultimate experience. It doesn't lack anything that a good horror film should have - bizarreness, disgust, jumpscares, tension, twistedness, shooting, cutting, absence of lighting, creepy footsteps, whispers, camera footage, flickering lights, screaming, just everything! AWESOME! Including the ending, where everything is explained. I definitely recommend it, this is worth watching! (05.06.2023)