Southbound is an anthology horror film brought to you from filmmakers Radio Silence, Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, and Patrick Horvath. Starring Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Fabianne Therese, Hannah Marks, Nathalie Love, Davey Johnson, Gerald Downey, and Dana Gould. It premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival on September 16th, 2015. I am watching the Shudder network stream of the film.

Synopsis

Five interweaving stories. Two men are involved in a nefarious plan and they must account for their transgressions. Their atonement in death kickstarts a cursed loop of mayhem, damnation, and torture. The tales include a stranded band of girls being taken in and assimilated by a satanic cult. A clueless bystander being made a gruesome example of by a group of bar-dwelling demons. A man on a quest to save his sister from the depths of this hellish landscape. And a family brutally murdered by a trio of killers.

Analysis

Southbound delivers suspense in a very clever fashion. I loved the seamless blending of all of the different stories. Radio Silence is at the helm for the wrap-around story and it’s a mind-bending, terrifying tale. Roxanne Benjamin delivers one of the most interesting segments that I had wished would run a bit longer. David Bruckner and Patrick Horvath both provide awesome stories that get the blood pumping.

The film was made on a shoestring budget, it’s amazing what the filmmakers were able to do with such a limited amount of funds. I love the creativity that’s on display. The only time that the monetary limitations are noticeable is when CGI is featured.

Some of the segments had acting that could have used a couple of more takes. However, the majority of the character work is good. Chad Villella and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin both do a really good job in the wrap-around feature. But Fabianne Therese in the second story, Siren, took the title of best in the movie. She really killed it. Her character was believable and very sympathetic.

Overall

Southbound features a lot of the same filmmakers that had worked on V.H.S. And in the usual fashion, this second outing for this group turns the terror up to a thousand. The original concepts that are on-display are entertaining as well as terrifying. This is a must-see for fans of horror. Very easy to watch with a very enthralling and entertaining storyline. It’s a shame that it’s overlooked for no good reason.