Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Hold Your Breath (2012)

A group of friends get together a few years after high school to go on a camping trip. While on the way, they get lost and go past a graveyard, which prompts one girl to insist everyone hold their breath.  My friends and I used to do the same thing... except we were twelve. The stupid stoner is too busy inhaling to play along and accidentally inhales the spirit of a serial killer because it just happens to be the anniversary of his execution and he's looking for a body.

When the gang stops near the abandoned asylum where our killer died, one couple goes off to hook up  - because there's nothing so romantic as doing it on a dirty old autopsy table in the morgue. The others search for them because they want to leave. All except the possessed stoner who hangs out at the car, gets rid of all their cell phones, and tries to look menacing.  But since he's a doughy stoner, it doesn't work very well and he just comes off looking like a dick.

Too bad they missed the opening scenes of the movies.  The warden at the sanitarium addresses those who've come to witness the execution by welcoming them and recapping all the crimes for the victims families. Doesn't seem like the best thing to do since no one wants to hear how their loved ones were horrendously murdered, but since the killer ends up stabbing himself and the warden in front of the witnesses before being fried... oh wait, that's traumatic also, so the poor families are emotionally scarred for again.

But back to our story - the kids are confused because soon the stoner is back to normal other than a cough and feeling like crap, while another one of the gang is looking menacing and being completely creepy.  Turns out the spirit of the serial killer can jump from person to person, which makes it hard for everyone to figure out who is possessed. So it's a good thing they run into a middle aged man at the  murder scene of one of their friends.  He's able to explain what's going on and offer a solution which leads to some not so great special effects.

I was surprised to see this was a film by The Asylum since they usually make movies similar to blockbusters and give them a similar name. But this is original, just not that great. I didn't loathe it.  So it's got that going for it.  However this is the only sanitarium I've ever heard of that actually executes their patients, and the only warden who doesn't understand that recounting the crimes to the victims families is not a good thing to do.
Spooky girl with the 1940s Andrews Sisters haircut.
Am I the only one who is reminded of Mick Jagger?





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