After the final performance of Romeo & Juliet, the theatre students gather for a party…and are picked off one by one…
The Lurker is a essentially a slasher film that is unashamedly a throwback to the early eighties. The characters are the stereotypical ones you would get in a film like this; the good girl, the party girl, the jock, the bitch, etc. On this level, as written by John Lerchen (also a producer of the film), the film is cliched to the max. However, where it does veer into slightly unexpected territory is the back story of the main character Taylor, played by Scout Taylor-Compton. It adds something slightly different to the film, though it does also mean the reveal of the killer really doesn’t surprise. It has to be said too that the film’s own logic doesn’t always work. The very end of the film suggests that either the story is over…or potentially room for a follow-up.
Where it fares slightly better is in the direction from Eric Liberacki. While the film has no shocks or jump scares, the death scenes are mostly well done and he does get okay performances from his cast.
Scout Taylor-Compton is pretty good as the lead and there is some good support from others in the cast, such as Emmaline Skillicorn, Michael Emery, Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, Naomi Grossman and Kali Skatchke. The music by Misha Segal is okay and the film is well shot by Brandon Hoeg.
The Lurker isn’t a bad film. But the backstory aspect aside there isn’t anything new here at all. There is a feel of a ‘been here, seen this’ vibe running through the whole film. Not every film has to be original and this film certainly isn’t that.
In the end The Lurker is a film you might enjoy while watching it, but it won’t stay long in your memory after.
Rating: **1/2 out of 5
