Southbound – Movie Review (4/5)

As a collection of short films, the Southbound horror anthology works perfectly!

Whenever you’re watching an anthology, there’s bound to be segments you like more than others. The Southbound horror anthology is no exception, but as a whole it just works. It really does!

I won’t give away too much, since the point of this particular collection of short films is how they all interlock with each other. Sometimes very directly, so there’s no telling where one ends and the other begins. Other times it’s very clear. Both ways seem to work in the Southbound horror anthology, so just sit back and relax.

You’ll get plenty of crazy characters and a whole lot of blood and gore throughout the various stories, so there’s something for every horror loving fan.

For me, the best segment was the one featuring Dana Gould as Raymond, who’s just a man driving late at night when things go very wrong. I love the way you get to witness him consider his options, and then you follow him down the rabbit hole, as every decision he takes leads him deeper into a terrible mess.  

The Southbound horror short films are directed by people, who have already been part of another very memorable horror anthology. For one, you’ve got Roxanne Benjamin, who produced part of V/H/S, V/H/S 2 and V/H/S Viral.

And David Bruckner also wrote, produced and directed a segment in V/H/S. Bruckner also wrote and directed the horror sci-fi thriller The Signal from 2007. He was even attached as director of Friday The 13th (2017), but he eventually dropped out.

Don’t watch the Southbound horror anthology before a road trip

If I was to go on a road trip right after watching the Southbound horror anthology, I’m afraid I’d be even more paranoid than usually. I mean, it just feels like the open road is screaming for something to go wrong, and in this collection of short films, anything that can go wrong, most certainly will. Also, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. And if you have a bad gut feeling, then please, do listen to it.

See, Southbound is the perfect example of how much we can learn from horror movies. The people, who are looking at a strange situation and saying “Let’s not get involved!” have watched enough horror to know the friendly people picking up hitchhikers are really crazy people. And the ones ready to jump into the car have not. Morale of Southbound is definitely to pay attention to your surroundings. And also, if someone tries to warn you or give you a piece of advice? Just listen to them.

So when I say “Please, do make sure you watch the Southbound horror anthology!” you should definitely listen. Southbound is out on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD now.

Details

Director: Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Patrick Horvath, Radio Silence
Writer: Roxanne Benjamin, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, Susan Burke, Dallas Richard Hallam, Patrick Horvath
Cast: Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Kristina Pesic, Dana Gould, Fabianne Therese, Nathalie Love

Plot

Five interlocking tales of terror follow the fates of a group of weary travellers who confront their worst nightmares – and darkest secrets – over one long night on a desolate stretch of desert highway.