Alexandra reluctantly agrees to go with her boyfriend Nathan to take part in 'Slasher Sleepout' a game taking place in remote woods. However, she and the other competitors find themselves fighting for their lives, when the game takes a deadly turn...
While I have a soft spot for the Slasher sub-genre of horror, over the years, my attention has focused more on the killer than the characters/potential victims. The reason for this, is that on the whole, the characters are often so dull or annoying that you can't wait for the killer to start killing. When Scream came along in 196, it gave the slasher film a shot in the arm in part by acknowledging the rules of slasher films but also by playing around with them a little. I like it a great deal. But the one I enjoy more is Jason X from 2001. It's a fun twist on the Jason/Friday The 13th films, setting it in space, the cast playing it (mostly) straight, even with a lot of humour in the dialogue. I love the film.
So, why am I talking about that rather than Ruin Me? Well the answer to that is simple. Ruin Me is the most fun I've had with a slasher since Jason X.
The reason is simple. Like Scream these characters know the horror cliches and the film plays with them a bit too. But what it also gets right, is that the characters are allowed to develop before the horror kicks in. Most films of this type tend to have a very quick opening kill then settle down for a bit. Here though, the film takes its time, as much a mystery as horror as the kills mostly happen off screen. I don't mind that at all, so long as the story, characters and tension are all there, which this film has.
The final third of the film has a number of surprises (some of which owe nods to other films which I won't mention as they may spoil the film) that you might figure out. Yet even if you do figure it out, the film still works, leading to a very good ending indeed.
The cast are great. Marcienne Dwyer plays Alexandra and is very good. Alexandra has her own secrets and issues and Dwyer brings them all out. The others in the main cast, Matt Dellapina, Eva Hamilton, Chris Hill, John Odom, Sam Ashdown and Cameron Gordon are all good too. The rest of the cast might have smaller roles, but they too are good.
The script from Trysta A. Bissett and Preston DeFrancis is good, the humour works well, as does the mystery aspect of the story. DeFrancis directs the film, keeping the tension level high once the horror begins, having a couple of good jump moments and never letting it slip until the end.
When I was looking at the films that FrightFest was showing, Ruin Me was one that I really hoped to see. I'm glad I did.
If you want a horror film that is a lot of fun too, Ruin Me is certainly one to watch.
Rating - 4/5
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