Director: Kevin Phillips
Year Released: 2017
Rating: 0.5
Friends Zach (Owen Campbell) and Josh (Charlie Tahan) bum around with 8th grader Charlie (Sawyer Barth) and loutish Daryl (Max Talisman), come across Josh's older brother's Japanese sword (and weed), use it to slice up milk cartons in the woods ... and then before you know it, they're arguing and Daryl gets stabbed with the sword, so they abandon his corpse and try to keep it a secret (although Zach becomes increasingly paranoid). It's clear where the material came from - a cribbing of Stephen King, for one, and maybe a little of Stranger Things-style nostalgia (this is set in the 90's) - but it isn't well thought-out from a psychological POV, with Josh turning into a murderous nerd Samurai and Zach conflicted on whether or not to kiss his crush Allison (Elizabeth Cappuccino): there's too much emphasis on mood instead of motive. One nagging thought among many: until the end, where are all the Dads at? Y'all got some wayward sons that need discipline.
