Wake Up

Teen activists armed with paintball guns break into a big-box furniture store and things go terribly wrong, because one of the security guards is an ardent hunter. Wake Up is a slasher flick without suspense. Rather, it’s easy-going with dynamic – and of course bloody – killings. In terms of craft, it’s high-quality fun, but the screenplay is unimaginative and doesn’t play around with the clichés, which could have made it memorable. [Sitges Film Festival] (07.10.2023)

From the trio behind Turbo Kid and Summer of 84 comes another new horror film, a Canadian slasher, but once again it falls short of expectations. A group of young activists decide to break into a furniture store and vandalise it, but little do they know that the security guard is a hunter and enjoys trapping, and they soon find themselves as the prey in the guard’s hunting ground. The premise is pretty cool, and so is the mall setting, the running time is short, but in terms of gore, the film is unfortunately quite lacklustre. Some of the traps are pretty good, but unfortunately there aren’t any memorable deaths, and considering the number of characters some of them seemed downright dodgy (who cares about breaking a neck these days). In that respect it's a shame, it could have been a fun and brutal one-off with an unconventional villain (he's at least decent). A bland average that won't blow anyone’s mind. 6/10. (22.10.2024)

A Canadian slasher flick about teenagers who decide to spend the night in a mall after closing time, only to be chased by dysfunctional night watchmen. Thematically, it's nothing new under the sun, giving a nod to classics from the 1980s like Chopping Mall, but Wake Up is very dynamically shot, and the RKSS creative collective behind retro throw-back flicks like Turbo Kid and Summer of '84 are able to stylize the action in neon colours and ride the wave of genre clichés without being annoying. It's simple and not revelatory by any means, but importantly, it's also entertaining and quite brutal. (07.10.2023)