Captive!
By Robert Waldman
Don’t you just love the federal government. Our Canadian government that is. Never one to overlook the geniuses in Ottawa for a rather porous border with enough Covid loopholes to drive a Mac Truck through I’d like to now focus on another government department: Telefilm. 9 out of 10 times most government financed films prove to be problematic ( I.e. no one goes to see them). Why not take a chance to see your hard-earned tax dollars in play with the latest Ottawa-backed effort: The Retreat. All kidding aside if you like horror films and are modern thinking and a tolerant chap/lass you may want to watch this new Aqute Media distributed film by ordering it through your local cable company or internet provider.
Sometimes we all need a holiday. Now more than ever some rest and relaxation is good for the nerves and your mental health. That’s part of the plan two young women hope to achieve when they set out to see some family friends at a remote cabin/house deep in the woods. Ooh, sounds scary doesn’t it.
On route to some freedom and free time away from the office are Layna and Valerie. Both Celina Sinden and Sarah Allen give it their all – and they have to – in their performances. Bad things quickly befall this couple as a group of sadists lay siege to the house. Heaven help the not so lucky houseguests as the torment begins.
Fans of shows like Criminal Minds ( which I must confess I used to enjoy) will feel right at home with the violence meted out against these two women. We’ve seen these kind of stories before and about the only original element here is that the ladies are in a relationship. Other than that you can tell the filmmakers here have simply rejiggered your typical slasher assaults that we’ve seen previously time and time again
Fear keeps suspense horror films going and The Retreat tries to mount some effective shocks and it partly succeeds. But the graphic violence designed to scare and show horror may be a bit too much for most mainstream audiences. Not for the faint of heart The Retreat shows some sickos attacking two defenseless women. Whether they survive or not is the key to this film. Let’s just say even the meanest of creeps can be outflanked by some captives pushed to the limit
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