Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Minutes to Midnight'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

The end of the year is an important time for just about everyone in the world. Because it’s the season of giving and the presents we wrap and place under the tree celebrate the people we’re blessed to know and it’s also a wonderful time to take inventory when it comes to our life and its current direction. For those who have achieved their goals, they get to bask in the wonder and satisfaction of achievement and look toward the new year with a sense of renewal to enjoy this feeling once again and for those who aren’t quite there yet, they view the new year as an opportunity to seize the day and finally get exactly what they want in life.
 
But for every person who counts down to the new year with hope in their heart, there are others who see the coming days ahead as a fine reminder of everything they’ve lost in life and the pain that surges through their veins, and no that’s not a negative thing in the slightest. It simply means that those particular folks, have a long road of healing ahead before they can find themselves in an appreciative state and their story speaks to how life has its ups and its downs and what matters more, is that they are working toward healing, rather than using their pain as motivation to strike out and harm others. But, sadly, some people will do just that, and take revenge upon others in order to repair their aching soul and it just so happens that a new horror release, explores that particular dark side to the renewal that the new year represents in Minutes to Midnight.
 
Now in this particular film, we are introduced to a young woman named Sophia, and no one is looking forward more to the new year than she is, because the days behind her, have been tough to say the least. She’s been down for some time now thanks to a failed relationship that meant the world to her, but on this New Year’s Eve, Sophia is determined to find the joy in life again. She’s planning to head up the lodge that her company owns with her closest friends to let loose and have a great time, but there are going to be a few complications to the evening’s plans that will likely change her life forever. Because not only is her ex-boyfriend suddenly back in her life and coming to the party, but a group of killers are on the loose on this night, and they’re looking to ring in the New Year with bloodshed and Sophia and her friends just so happen to be on their list of deadly resolutions. 

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​So, this particular film is one that’s been on my radar for a short while now for a bevy of reasons. First and foremost, one of my closest friends and fellow writers on this site, Scott Edwards, managed to catch this film and instantly texted me after watching it and when he does that, it means he downright loved it and also because, the cast roster outright intrigued me. Because this movie features a host of notable names, with 90’s heartthrob Richard Greico playing the Sheriff in this story, and he is joined by William Baldwin and Stargate’s Christopher Judge. But while it’s cool to see these gentlemen do their thing in magnificent fashion in this film, there’s one name in this movie that caught my eye over everyone else’s, horror legend Bill Moseley.
 
Which means that if this many popular names from yesteryear are assembled in one place, the movie in question is up to something special and in this case, it means that anyone who watches this particular film, is going to be treated to an old school slasher flick that features the gloss and glamour of the modern era. And really the first thing I appreciated about this movie is how it hits the ground running with the blood and guts within the first five minutes and it doesn’t let up from there and well, this one is just a blast. The kills are creative and gory, there’s some great laugh out loud moments to be found, especially the whole drunken shaving sequence and that’s all that I’ll say on that because you really need to see this film when all is said and done because it really it is a lot of fun through and through, and it’s filled with all kinds of surprises.
 
Because in all honesty, I didn’t see the big twist at the end of this movie coming in the slightest, and in hindsight, sure there were clues, but I was so mesmerized by Bill Moseley and the rest of the cast, and the buckets upon buckets of blood and guts present in this film, because holy cow, it does not disappoint when it comes to the splatter, that I simply lost myself in this movie and that’s a wonderful thing. So, in the end, this is one that I highly recommend to horror fans out there because it’s really just a fun and messy ride, one that makes you wistful for the good old days of the slasher genre where the bad guys were shockingly evil, and the blood flowed from their victims like the mighty Colorado River…  

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