Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Southbound’

Written by Scott Edwards

​One of the greatest things about taking road trips is finding some of the places you would never see in a big town. While it is great to hold up in a big-name hotel, there is something to be said about the old out of the way places, as they have so much character. Not knowing who might have stayed there in the past when a ghost town was thriving or what happened around the area when the highway was put in, there is so much history that goes along with these spots. But on the other side of this, there might be something much more sinister to the area’s past, something that nobody should see or hear about, so it is up to you if you want to stop there or move on to the big cities.
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Trying to run from what they just did; Jack and Mitch are covered in blood and exhausted and need to pull over. Stopping at the local diner, Jack heads into the bathroom to wash up a bit but says little to the woman working. Seeing that the man is troubled in one way or another, she gets to see him several more times as his truck continuously passes the diner. Seeing that they cannot escape the town, Mitch comes to terms that he will be punished by the demons that are chasing them and after seeing his friend have his soul ripped out, he returns to the hotel to find a place of comfort but is put into the same cycle and the demons hunting him are looking for one thing, his madness.

After a great show and a heavy night bender, Sadie, Kim and Ava wake up to the unforgiving sun. Packing up the van and hitting the road, they make a couple of stops to have some fun with the unusual area, but when their van gets a flat, they believe that they are s*it out of luck. Getting the only car, they have seen passing by to stop, the group is invited to their savior’s house to have dinner and they are given a promise that the couple’s boys will fix up the van in the morning. Sitting down for dinner with an interesting group of characters, Sadie takes notice that the prayer being said is something nightmarish. Not partaking in the meat dish that is laid out for them, Sadie becomes the victim of attacks by her friends that she cannot explain. As the night moves on, she finds the house is empty and tries to find out what happened to her friends, only to see that they have been welcomed into a macabre family.

Not keeping his eyes on the road while driving down the unnamed highway, Lucas looks up from his phone long enough to see a woman standing in the middle of the road. Smashing his car into Sadie, he is forced to try and call for help. Getting 911 on the line and telling them what happened, he is shocked when the dispatcher tells him to pick up the injured woman and bring her into town. Knowing that the woman will die if he does not, Lucas is able to locate a hospital in the otherwise dead town and brings the woman in. Not being able to locate anyone in the hospital, Lucas is told that he will need to perform the lifesaving surgery on the woman himself. Following the doctor’s orders on the other side of the phone, he winds up killing the woman. Hearing laughter on the other end of the phone, he tries to escape from the ghost town, but he will only be able to leave on one condition.

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​Watching a car speed away, Sandy is ready to get her drink on in the local pub. Entering the establishment, she is getting upset that Al will not give her a drink until she shuts the door. Offering her fellow patron Warren, a beer if he will shut the door for her, the group is shocked when a man with a gun barges in. Trying to locate his sister, Danny has found that many people have gone missing over the years when they come to this town and is sure that she is one of them. Pulling Al out from behind the bar, Danny is in no mood to be messed with and wants to get to his sister now.
 
Arriving at the back of a store, Danny witnesses something strange as a door he cannot see is opened and his sister is inside. Telling her brother to just leave town before anything happens to him, Jesse does not want to leave. Being forced into the car by her brother, Jesse tries to convince him to just go, but he will not listen as his search has taken years and he will not leave without his prize. But, while trying to escape the town, Danny quickly finds out that there are much worse things that go bump in the night and his sister is not willing to try and stop them.
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Getting out of the bathroom and spotting a strange woman peering at her tattoo, Jem heads back to the diner to finish up with her parents. With a little rental for them to stay in, the family is ready to get away from the world for a little bit. But when a strange knocking comes at their door, they are shocked to see men with masks trying to get inside. Calling the cops and hearing that it will take half an hour before they can arrive, Daryl will have to do his best to keep his family safe. That only lasts so long however, as the parents, Daryl and Cait are captured by the intruders. Knowing the men that are keeping them captive, Daryl tries to work out a compromise, but is forced to watch his wife get killed before his very eyes. Trying to distract the masked men from her parents, Jem is able to get outside and flash some light on what is happening. Getting the attention of the attackers and being told to leave the area, she will force their hand when she is not willing to leave her parents to die without a fight.

Anthology horror movies are great, especially when they all tie in together like Southbound does. With all of these stories taking place along an unnamed highway, I will always be making sure that the roads I drive have names. It is hard to pick which one of the stories I liked best as they are all great and have a purpose to the overall storyline and I must admit that how the killers in the final segment bring this story around full circle is just brilliant. With some demons, killers, Satanists, medicine, an operation, a tattoo artist, some poor skin care, a desert and a patch of highway that should never be driven, there is some greatness being shown by a terrific cast and crew. And if you are worried about not getting the scares in, there is plenty of blood all the way around, even an exploding head. Stay Scared.

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