Munger Road (2011)

Fresh and Exciting

Absolutely Fantastic

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This film is loosely inspired by a urban legend that haunts many a towns throughout the US. The legend of Munger Road is that a bus filled with school kids got hit by a train after stopping on the train tracks. Many teens now place baby powder on the bumper to see if you get ghostly hand prints that indicate spirits were trying to push you off of the railroad tracks, as a means to protect you from the same fate. This film incidentally is based & located in ST. CHARLES, Ill. where some of these legends are located and still practiced today. I'd also like to mention that the film itself also has another side story, so in all this is two films kinda merged into one. The film starts with Trevor Morgan (who plays Corey LaFayve), and the lovely Brooke Peoples (as Joe Risk). The two teens are seen in a coffee shop waiting on their friends for a possible double date with Hallock Beals (who plays Scott Claussen) and his girlfriend Rachael Donahue (played by Lauren Storm). Subsequently, the date doesn't go as planned as they decided to take the girls "Ghost Hunting" on "MUNGER ROAD" (hence the name of the movie) to test out the local legend on the train tracks. The "ghost hunting date" doesn't pan out as expected. Although, there is one scene where the video is pitch black and it makes YOU as the audience use your imagination which I thought was quite brilliant. The film itself has quite a slow burn to it until about the 48 minute mark, that being said it DOES have a nice steady edge of keeping your attention to see what happens next. There are also quite a few creepy moment & some nice scares that kind of catch you off guard in the beginning & near the end as well.Throughout the beginning we are getting to know the younger cast of characters, then we meet our local police officers. Film star veterans Bruce Davison (X-MEN, Willard, & Apt Pupil) as Chief Kirkhoven as well as Randall Batinkoff (For Keeps?, Kickass, & X-men: First Class) who plays Deputy Hendricks. As we are introduced to them, we find out about a local killer who breaks out of a prison and is on the loose. The Kids on Munger Road are unknown to this fact, as the two police officers begin to scramble to find this man. The escapee several years ago was responsible for the various disappearances of several teens & children in the area (also another local Urban Legend which is implemented into the story, I do believe).As the facts begin to fall into place, the teens begin to disappear from someone or something in the night...I really enjoyed the film, as it isn't a big budget flick but it does have the feel of it even though it's a INDIE FILM. This film relies less on gore & nudity and more so on the visuals, cinematography, artistic style & storytelling to take you along on this thriller. You can tell that the writer, director, and cast & crew put there heart and soul into this film. You can also see that they borrowed from some of the horror greats, with slight homages inserted into the story & the backdrop scenes. The cast of younger unknowns do a great job of keeping the tension, humor, & drama on a even level of authenticity takes to a nice & solid script. Bruce Davison as always brings his A game & Randall Batinkoff plays well off of Davison as a deputy who slowly sees his strengths and conquers his weakness by the films end.My ONLY complaint is that the film ends exactly like another Independent film I own that starts slow & gets a great finale near the end then cuts you short with a "TO BE CONTINUED..." prior to the end credits. Keeping in mind, that there is a possible follow up sequel in mind for this film, I do believe it worth a watch. I definitely am glad I have this in my collection, it has replay value considering the abrupt ending.

Thread 1: Corey, Joe, Scott, and Lauren are out looking for ghosts with baby powder and a very expensive camera. They get some inconclusive evidence at the Munger Road site where the ghosts are said to hang out. Then their ride dies from a cracked ignition coil housing. Scott goes looking for help. Their cell phones get no signal, and the cell phone clocks are all stopped at 11:14. Time passes slowly. Then Corey sends them a picture, then a text, 'Run.'Thread 2: the Chief and Hendricks are looking for an escaped killer, Gunther. They want him apprehended before the Saint Charles Scarecrow Festival starts. They capture a copper thief. While continuing the hunt, they hear that Scott and Corey are missing. So they start looking for the teenagers. They find an empty van, because it's blocking a road needed to get the Festival fully setup. It's empty, and belongs to a woman in town.The Chief and Hendricks look for Gunther in a hotel in town. The examine tunnels beneath the town, and start thinking that Munger Road is a possibility. Hendricks and the Chief decide to take separate routes to Munger Road. The Chief takes a car; Hendricks continues in the tunnel.The teens decide to follow Corey. Then the film slips (off and on) into found-film mode, with the hand-held being the mode of recording footage. The Chief finds Joe still alive, and they meet with Hendricks.Will they recover the others?------Scores------Cinematography: 6/10 There's a whole lot of dark in this film, particularly in the second half. Also, the found film segments at the end were not a plus.Sound: 10/10 No problems.Acting: 6/10 One of Bruce Davison's better efforts, and when he's good, he's really good. The actors who played the teens were good but not great.Screenplay: 6/10 This was as murky as the often dark picture. The police seemed quite slow at getting to Munger Road (both to find Gunther and to find the teens). That was odd, since the Chief, anyway, seemed rather bright.

The other reviewers must be blind, friends or relatives of the writer/director of this film. I've never seen a film of any genre that had so many plot holes in it that it reminded me of a piece of Swiss cheese. Actually, there were two story lines playing out simultaneously that the writer could not tie together to save his life. I kept waiting for the film to improve but then gave up and watched in awe as it became more and more ridiculous and then ended in one huge mess. I kept thinking to myself how did this movie ever get out of pre-production without someone stepping in to doctor the script. I certainly wish I had the 86 minutes back of my life after watching this clunker, and I can only warn potential viewers to watch at their own risk.

Man, I really wanted this one to pan out more. Shot on a shoestring budget with good scenery and okay to better than average acting, Munger Road tells two stories that intertwine in St. Charles, Illinois. The first being that a former serial killer is on the loose and the second being that a group of teenagers want to test the paranormal limits of an urban legend of an old road (Munger Road). They both happen on the same night! Gonna try my best not to give too much away on this one. Shot in and around the actual town of St. Charles, Illinois, there really is a "Munger Road" who happens to have an urban legend attached to it. Supposedly, a group of school kids were on a school bus on Munger Road and the bus stalled on the train tracks, forcing it to get hit by a train. If you kill your engine on Munger Road on the train tracks, the spirits of the children will move your car off the tracks (TONS of variations of this urban legend exist about Munger) I actually liked that this urban myth was built in to the story.This is the basis for the beginning of the movie as four teenagers set out to prove this urban legend true. At the same time, the town law enforcement finds out about an escaped former serial killer that killed in that area. It is the weekend of a HUGE festival that will have an additional 6,000 people in the town. Will the killer return to St. Charles?? I loved the premise. Every town has that one haunted place or road that EVERYONE knows about.Starts slow, builds gradually, but has things that make little to no sense happen in the movie (with no explanation) and then there is the ending. Trust me when I tell you that you will either LOVE or HATE the ending. Their is no middle ground. Leaves you wanting more or completely fed up.No gore, no nudity, little violence and lots of tension make this film go. (NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A STRONG IMAGINATION OR NEED MOVIES SPOON-FED TO YOU, THIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR YOU.) I liked that they tried to make a modern day Hitchcock-meets-Halloweeen style film. The only problem(s) with the film are: A lack of a good explanation about 11:14 p.m. (watch it and see), The idea of the cops splitting up, and finally the ending. Had they have shown the footage...it may have been a 6 or higher. Too many loose ends can only get you so far.4. 75 stars out of 10 (rounds up to 5) If you are a fan of slower moving genres with "shot video" added (think Blair Witch meets Halloween with Hitchcock style), check this out.If you need gore, violence or have little to no patience...pass on it.