I don’t believe in faith, but “Night Cry” has given me pause to think there may be some higher power at work in this universe. I was on the third segment (“Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You”) of this “horror” anthology when a glitch on the DVD made it impossible to watch the end of the film. Thank God for small favors, as I was already tortured to the point of insanity and seriously dreading another story.
I give the film its one star because I’m happy director and primary writer Francis Xavier is doing his part to keep horror in the public eye. The final product is so lame, however, that the intent is the only thing that can be praised. The acting is pitiful, and the dialogue, which sounds the same for almost every character, is the exact opposite of realistic and smooth flowing. At one point during “Last Stop Before Home,” which is set in current times, a character actually calls a mirror a “looking glass.” Does anyone speak this way anymore? No. Not even goths.
Stories that aren’t scary with characters who don’t act like they are supposed to (like the deputy sheriff in “Last Stop Before Home” who comes across a man in bloody t-shirt holding a shotgun — she doesn’t even handcuff the guy before buying his story and comforting him) and dialogue that is more awkward than a Sixties Thor comic book makes for a horrible film. I imagine these tales were supposed to make your skin crawl. Instead, they made me want to hang myself. I almost would’ve preferred “Scream 2” over this nonsense.
