In the new horror anthology Southbound, five tales merge to create one cohesive storyline through the back roads of hell. On the endless trail into unknown, hot southern depths, all of the characters involved in this Twilight Zone-esque collection of stories will be confronted with their sins in their own personal hells.
The directors involved in this anthology weren't just handed an assigned vignette and a deadline and positive thoughts by the person in charge. These filmmakers spent weeks and weeks working together on the script, intricately designing the story as a whole, and creating a flowing narrative, rather than coming up with an acceptable excuse to house five different stories in one film.
The result is an anthology so seamless, it's difficult to tell where one segment ends and another begins, making it feel less like a large group of people all trying to shout over one another, and more like the single voice of an eclectic choir. Horror anthologies are slowly making a comeback, but with their latest installment, the V/H/S series crew of Brad Miska, Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, and Radio Silence have proven once again that they dominate the subgenre. Together, they set the bar for what modern day horror anthologies should look like.
The individual segments are listed as follows:
"The Way In" by Radio Silence
Two men bloody with guilt drive quickly down a hazy dirt road in the middle of the desert, hoping to outrun their past. Floating black creatures with tentacles loom ominously in the distance behind them, and by the anxiety streaked across their faces, it's evident that their ill deeds aren't the only things they're running from.
They stop at a gas station to refuel and take a break from their troubles, but a sweet-faced girl behind the counter named Sutter stands to remind them that they're nothing more than characters in an already scripted story; chained to their fate, and unable to do anything about it. As the two men try to drive away from the station, they wind up pulling right back up to it again, and again, and again, and again. They are caught in a constant loop, struggling to escape the ring of Satan's fire as it closes in upon them and engulfs them whole.
"Siren" by Roxanne Benjamin
Producer-turned-director Roxanne Benjamin makes a fiery debut in this fiercely feminine, ultra-creepy satanic short about an all-girl band who accept a ride from the wrong people. Most tales of satanic worship revolve around a gaggle of men trying to save a poor, defenseless little girl, so it's refreshing to see a break from the norm, and watch a group of ladies shake hands with the devil and fight to save themselves.
In this twisted turn of events, the Leave It to Beaver clan has used their stiff smiles and seemingly safe ’50s-style allure to lure these vulnerable bandmates into their car and away from their broken-down van, only to make them unwilling slaves of Satan. Just as the leader of the band abandoned her friend who consequently died, she, too, has been abandoned; left alone, lost without hope, as the hellish abyss she has entered opens up and duels out its sick, nefarious vengeance upon her.
"Accident" by David Bruckner
Although all of the pieces in this unique anthology fit together as one complete whole with a clear, entertaining plot line that's easy to follow running throughout, David Bruckner's "Accident" is definitively the best of the bunch.
Told from the perspective of a man making a late-night phone call to his wife on his way home, all is well until a survivor of the satanic antics from the previous short runs straight in front of the stranger's car. Now the man is the only one who can save this poor girl, not only because he's the only person around for miles, but also because he's being tested by the dark things that lurk in the shadows of this endless desert, judging him to see how far he'll go to right his wrongs and earn redemption.
Disturbing, depraved, and wickedly deceiving, Bruckner's entry once again proves to be the cream of the crop in a circle of already impressive filmmakers. His short breaks from the mold, and shows how in hell, people always hold a debt for their sins, even if the ones they committed weren't necessarily intentional.
"Jailbreak" by Patrick Howarth
A man kicks open the door to a seedy bar in the middle of nowhere and enters shotgun first. He's looking for his sister, and he'll shoot every shifty-eyed monster in this joint to find her. Finally, after it becomes clear that the man with the gun is willing to do more than point, he is reunited with his long-lost sister. Problem is, she doesn't want to leave with him. People become prisoners of the lives chosen for them by their loved ones. This segment provides an exaggerated example of the folly of trying to force someone to bend to your will, and how you have to accept people for who they are and leave them be, lest you yourself become tangled up and lost in their world, too.
"The Way Out" by Radio Silence
Finally, we loop back to the wrap-around segment, as we find out where the two men from the pickup truck got their ill-gotten blood stains from. The only path forward for these men is self-destruction, because the fact is, that's what the spirits have decided they deserve. Fate is inescapable, and eventually, carrying on a sinful life in the fast lane will catch up to the sinner. In the case of these men—and their unspeakable actions—it's time for them to pay the piper.
Overall, Southbound is an imaginative horror anthology with a vision that is so close-knit, it feels as unified as any film directed by one single person. The idea of peeking in on the happenings of limbo as a wrap-around story is the type of innovative thinking modern-day anthologies need in order to survive and blossom to their full potential.
With so many anthologies seeking to break up each segment into different, clearly divisible slots, with each short fully grounded in reality, it's invigorating to just watch a handful of characters get scooped up and tossed unknowingly into an entirely different world; one where the stories interweave and flow into one another effortlessly, anything can happen, and no one is safe from the strange justice that awaits them.
Movie Score: 4.5/5
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
