100 Acers of Hell [2019]

Rolling into this film like Hell’s Angels into a Rolling Stones concert, 100 Acres of Hell finds a group of friends getting away for a “bros’ weekend”. A seemingly innocent hunting trip to an old and abandoned wildlife preserve will change everything for this group of men. They’ll enter the 100 Acres of “Hell”, but who, if any, will come out?

This best buds camping flick was written by Jason Koerner, Ed McKeever and Gene Snisky (yeah, THAT guy, WWE star Snitsky). The people in charge of driving this particular production is director Hank Leigh Hump, and co-directors Lisa Lakeman and Ernest O’Donnell (who pulls double-duty, also acting in the film). The trio did a good job, 100 Acres of Hell is a fun horror flick with a good, if unoriginal, twist.

Our characters, the previously mentioned “bros”; Professional Wrestler, who’s time in the limelight is nearing its end, Buck Severs (WWE Star Gene Snisky), Trent (Jeff Swanton), Bo (Jim Roof) and Morgan (Ernest O’Donnell NOT in a Kevin Smith project?!), head to the preserve in the back woods of Pennsylvania, where they inevitably shoot guns, party with locals and, you guessed it, get hunted by a Backwoods Slasher (played by fellow WWE star Sam Anoai). The supporting cast is also fun, giving us the “friendly till you say the wrong thing” attitude from most of the locals, giving the story a little added depth.

When the action happens, it happens fast and brutal. Use of editing (by Mark Dennebaum) and camera angles gives you a bit of a rush as the kills happen. You almost lose track of it all, but not in a bad away. Plenty of blood to go around. You keep watching, wondering who will get it next, and what becomes of the ones you don’t see die on screen. Hey, it may be four friends on a trip, but slashers rarely care whether you’re local or from outta town. The SFX team did a great job as the effects are pretty solid, as is the “unmasking”, once the time comes.

The script is interesting for the most part, kind of Deliverance (1972) meets Wrong Turn (2003). You get some interesting twists in this one, though I’m not sure they were all necessary. All in all, they don’t affect the viewing experience too much.

I get the impression that the cast and crew worked their asses off but also had fun while filming this feature. They did a great job overall in bringing the script from page to screen.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the great job done by the Lighting team. The film is dark where it needed to be but the lighting also accented scenes in great ways, most evident in the opening scene in the cabin. Just great work. I am becoming more and more a fan of the shadowed figure in front of a fire aesthetic and it gets used a few times in this film to great effect.

The score was also great. It complemented the atmosphere for each scene damn near perfectly, so great work by Michael James Romeo. As briefly mentioned earlier, camera work was also really good. There was efficient use of some really good angles during action, which made the scenes feel even more intense. The backdrop helped as well, it was a gorgeous area to shoot in.

So while this film has a solid, tried and true premise, it does lack a level of originality, but that doesn’t really hurt the film much. They took the backwoods slasher and worked their own magic. They gave us an offering that I wouldn’t mind giving a second view. I review movies AND work a 9 to 5 job, so I don’t have that much time for second viewings, so that says something.

Either way, give this a watch. It’s worth it if just to see two WWE Behemoths onscreen together and to catch a glimpse of horror legend Eileen Dietz in a small but memorable role.

Rating: 7/10