Director: Christopher Ray

Cast: William Baldwin, Bill Moseley, Richard Grieco

Production Company: DeInstitutionalized

Runtime: 91 minutes

Don’t go in the woods. How many unlucky young people have failed to heed that particular warning in the movies? Thankfully, a few more have been added to the list! Director Christopher Ray from Circus Kane (2017) brings Minutes to Midnight (2018) to the screen…

In the movie, a group of friends head to an deserted ski lodge in the mountains for New Year’s Eve. A man searching for his missing brother soon joins them. Masked assailants attack and hunt them with the intention to kill. Looks like the party’s over!

Sara Fletcher from House of Darkness (2016) is smart and virtuous as Sophia. Jena Sims from 3-Headed Shark Attack (2015) plays the much-less virtuous Tiffani. Both are well cast and great in their respective roles. Their characters are opposites and at odds with each other.

John Hennigan from Ascent to Hell (2014) is the perfect choice for the role of Travis Crenna. He’s had a lot of fighting experience as Johnny Nitro in the WWE. His skills obviously came in handy for this specific performance. It’s a really physical and challenging one…

The fight scenes between Crenna and a tough customer named Angus are among the best in the whole movie. Often, the characters who go after the unstoppable killer in slasher movies are hopelessly outmatched. In this film, the odds are pretty even, making for some great action.

William Baldwin from Flatliners (1990), Bill Moseley from House of the Witchdoctor (2013) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), and Richard Grieco from Raiders of the Damned (2007), all have significant roles in this movie.

It was also great to see Christopher Judge from Reaper (2014), Dominique Swain from Fall Down Dead (2007) and Mercy Malick from Fright Fest (2018). There really are a lot of talented people that pop up in this one.

Minutes to Midnight is a fine blend of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Friday the 13th (1980). It especially has a lot of similarities to the latter of these films. Young people who are drinking and having sex in the woods are killed by a masked freak on an important date.

Personally, I welcome more films in this style. With Friday the 13th and Jason locked in legal battles, it’s nice to see movies like this one filling the gaps. Fans of Hatchet (2006) and its sequels may enjoy this film too. It certainly has the right feel.

Minutes to Midnight is loaded with violence, gore, and nudity, as one would expect from a woodsy slasher film. Genre fans should definitely take note…

– John Migliore

For more information on the film, check out the links below…

Official Trailer

IMDb Page