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[Review] ‘WTF!’ is a Modern Slasher That Checks All the Right Boxes

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I’ve written plenty here on Bloody Disgusting about how slashers are my favorite subgenre of the horror world. Even when they’re bad they usually have their moments. That doesn’t mean shit awful slashers don’t exist because they most certainly do, but more often than not if I’m watching a slasher and it meets the basic requirements I’ll at least be entertained.

Peter Herro’s WTF! is a new entertaining slasher. This one follows Rachel (Callie Ott), a girl in her young 20’s who just three years ago was the sole survivor of a bloody massacre that left all her friends dead. Rachel is struggling to build a new social life but she’s trying. She has a boyfriend, Sam (Johnny James Fiore), who she seems to love quite dearly even though he’s a bit of a monster. I guess you have to take baby steps though, so what can you do?

Along with her boyfriend, Rachel’s new group of friends includes Bonnie (Andrea Hunt), Jacob (Benjamin Norris), Lisa (Sarah Agor) and Bevan (Adam Foster). One night while hanging out at the Jacuzzi the group tries to hash out their spring break plans. Naturally, everyone wants to go to the beach, but Jacob has a better idea. His uncles owns a cabin in the middle of the woods and he thinks it would be the perfect place to go hang out. You don’t have to be a genius to know this is a bad idea, but we are dealing with horny college kids here so you can’t expect the best decision making. The kids choose the cabin and the 6 of them, along with Rachel’s brother Toby (Nick Reilly), head up for a fun filled weekend in the secluded wilderness.

Once they get to the cabin it doesn’t take the long for murders to begin. One by one someone begins to hack the kids up, but who is it and what do they want? Rachel begins to have serious flashbacks. How could this happen to her again for a second time? What are the odds? Why is she so unlucky?

Amongst the slicing and dicing the film develops into a fairly solid mystery, sort of. The film tries to keep you guessing but it’s not too difficult to zone in on the responsible party. Eventually, the film tosses in a little twist that works if you don’t think about it too much.

Everything here is pretty standard for slashers. The story is something we’ve seen a million times over and there’s little to no character development. Everyone in the movie fits a specific stereotype and role. For the guys, you’ve got the stoner, the good looking dude that’s a jerk and one who is sort of a nerd and doesn’t get any girls. As for the girls, you have the girl-next-door type, the slutty one, and the tough one. They even meet a creepy old man on their drive up. It’s pretty basic. Ultimately none of them are likeable except for Jacob (the stoner). There’s something charming to Jacob and you want to see him succeed.

It’s all worth nothing that the actors all give good performances, they just all happen to be really underdeveloped characters.

There is some attention to detail that gets missed. For example out of Rachel’s new friends, only one is familiar with her past. That seems odd. It wasn’t that long ago that she survive the horrific slaying of her friends. I would expect them to all be well aware of her issues, but they’re not.

Personally, I was willing to forgive most of these flaws. In a slasher what I want is good, bloody kills. I also want practical effects. WFT! delivers plenty of bloody kills and they all come via practical effects. The kills aren’t anything groundbreaking or super clever, but one guy in particular gets a death that is very satisfying. About half way through the film everything becomes bloody and sticky and that’s what I’m signing up for.

WTF! does exactly what I need it to do. Gathers a bunch of dumb, twenty something sex-crazed college kids, puts them in one location and lets a killer go to work. The other stuff doesn’t matter. This won’t go down as a classic and may not be something you re-visit very often but it’s enjoyable and worth a late night watch.

Chris Coffel is originally from Phoenix, AZ and now resides in Portland, OR. He once scored 26 goals in a game of FIFA. He likes the Phoenix Suns, Paul Simon and 'The 'Burbs.' Oh and cats. He also likes cats.

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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