Scout Taylor Compton (Rob Zombie’s Halloween) stars in this Rich Ragsdale (Eight Legged Freaks) horror film about a young woman’s family lineage and the dark secrets behind it.
Shot in Charleston, South Carolina, The Long Night is an impressive southern gothic horror flick as far as visuals go. The setting and tone have an eeriness to them that is quite delicious on screen. However, the plot is an onion with too many layers.
Driven by the mysteries of her true identity, Grace (Scout Taylor Compton) and her boyfriend take a road trip to find answers regarding who her parents were. This leads them straight to a giant and creepy farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. As they settle in, an ominous looking group of folks donning cult masks and torches start showing up at their doorstep.
When the story starts to unfold, things get too complicated for the viewer to follow, and a few scenes and characters seem a bit pointless. Sometimes it’s best to keep it simple, especially when you have an ace setting and a great villain. Simple gets the job done. Extra layers get everything all jumbled. The reveal of Grace’s lineage is a creepy and cool concept, but it felt like we had to go all the way around the barn to get there.
Major props to the costume and department and the director of photography for The Long Night as the overall tone is quite pleasing, but as a complete package, it didn’t work. I hope this kicks off a new generation of southern gothic horror films, however. I need more!
In its defense, this movie sits at a very comfortable 91 minute runtime in a world where filmmakers don’t know how to keep the story under two hours.
Overall rating: 4/10
Brittany Fernandez is a Lifestyle Writer for SoBros Network. She’s a Nashville native covering events on the local scene, B-movie horror reviews, and everything in between. Her go-to karaoke song is “No Diggity.” Follow on Twitter: @brittbutspooky
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
