12 Hour Shift – Movie Review (3/5)

12 HOUR SHIFT is a new horror-comedy with lots of blood and dark humor. Angela Bettis is perfect in the lead of this bloody little “day in the life of”-treat. Be sure to check it out. Read more in our full 12 Hour Shift review here!

12 HOUR SHIFT is a new horror-comedy by Brea Grant. The story spans a 12-hour shift for a nurse, who is desperately addicted to drugs. Not smart, when you’re surrounded by them.

Incredibly, she does manage to do her job pretty well and care for her patients. Well, when she isn’t helping them to a somewhat earlier grave. She does this in part as a mercy-killing, but mostly because she’s an organ trafficker.

Oh yeah, there’s a lot going on in this slasher comedy. Continue reading our 12 Hour Shift movie review below.

Indie horror movie icon Angela Bettis

Fans of independent horror movies will no doubt be familiar with Angela Bettis. She first really grabbed attention with her title-role in May from 2002 by Lucky McKee who went on to make The Woman (2011) and All Cheerleaders Die (2013).

All excellent horror movies with kick-ass women at the heart of the story. If you haven’t watched these yet, then you really should. And especially May for Angela Bettis’ portrayal of the title character. 

The same year as May, Angela Bettis also starred as Carrie White in the TV movie version of Carrie (2002). While I still prefer the original 1976 adaption with Sissy Spacek, I must admit Angela Bettis was a damn good Carrie as well. 

In 12 Hour Shift, Angela Bettis also plays a somewhat awkward woman (which is a specialty of hers), but she is much more in control and in charge this time. Well, except for her drug addiction, which obviously has control over her. As always, when Angela Bettis stars in a movie, she is more than enough reason to check it out!

Great supporting cast

While Angela Bettis is the absolute star of 12 Hour Shift, she is surrounded by awesome actors in supporting roles. Some characters are there for comic relief – which is a good thing since it does get very crazy and bloody. I, for one, prefer when these movies lead into comedy instead of trying to be too serious when going nuts!

Chloe Farnworth is a perfect example of this, though she is also a deadly ditzy character. She is awesome in this movie and definitely steals scenes as the polar opposite of Angela Bettis’ character. The two work extremely well in scenes together!

Nikea Gamby-Turner (Rosewood) and Brooke Sequin (The Real Housewives of Horror) are both really great as characters that essentially become comedic “straight men”. They are there to keep everything serious and down-to-Earth while also going along with the craziness in various ways.

One is definitely more of a decent person than the other, though. You’ll see!

Overall, every single actor in this movie does well. David Arquette plays just a small role and is perhaps the weakest character. I don’t mean that as a critique of his acting, but just that his character isn’t as fleshed out as the others. He seems to mostly be on screen due to his recognition. A smart choice since he is also a producer!

Be sure to check out 12 Hour Shift

12 Hour Shift was written and directed by Brea Grant. Her name has become synonymous with “do check it out” for us here at Heaven of Horror. We’ve seen her mostly in front of the camera, but she’s been writing and directing for years as well. This is her first feature film since her debut in 2013 titled Best Friends Forever.

As an actor, you should know her from movies such as Beyond the Gates and Dead Awake both from 2016. Also, the fantasy-horror movie Dead Night (2017) and the Christmas horror anthology All the Creatures Were Stirring (2018). Most recently, she also starred in After Midnight from 2019.

Basically, she’s been in lots of horror movies and while they weren’t all great, Brea Grant always left a positive impression. Also, you might recognize her from the TV series Heroes (2006-2009) and Dexter (four episodes in season 6). In essence, she’s been around genre productions for a long time and knows what works.

We don’t do half stars but 12 Hour Shift would have landed on 3½ out of 5 if we did. The only reason we don’t end up on a full 4 out of 5 is that it drags during the final half. The story works well, so with tighter pacing in a few places, it would easily have landed on a higher rating.

I suspect we’ll get there with the next movie from Brea Grant, so be sure to check out 12 Hour Shift and get a feel for her style already now!

12 HOUR SHIFT is out in select theaters and On Demand from October 2, 2020.

Details

Writer/Director: Brea Grant
Stars: Angela Bettis, Chloe Farnworth, Nikea Gamby-Turner, David Arquette, Kit Williamson, Mick Foley