Rest Stop - Don't Look Back DVD: Review By B. Alan Orange

This is the latest entry in Warner Brothers' Raw Feed direct-to-DVD line of horror films. And boy, is it a doozy. Like Tobe Hooper did with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, director Shawn Papazian has taken the ground work laid out by John Shiban in the first film and turned it into a truly unique experience that is wholly different than its predecessor while keeping the original's spirit and energetic vibe alive and in tact. The Rest Stop of the title becomes a centerpiece of sorts in this amazing, labyrinthine desert outpost that acts like some sort of Bermuda Triangle of horrors. Working with Shiban on the story, Papazian could have made a few bucks turning this thing into a carbon copy of the original. Instead, the duo have set out to create an ongoing series that will continue through a number of different sequels. What could be perceived as a slasher film is actually one of the coolest ghost stories seen in recent years. The first chapter featured young couple Nicole and Jesse as they embarked for an enriched life in Hollywood, California. They were subsequently attacked and tortured at an old abandoned rest stop along the way. This second episode, which plays like the best TV show not airing on the CW, picks up with Jesse's brother, Tom, setting out on another road trip to find the missing lovebirds. This particular story sets the newly introduced Tom Hilts up as the main focus of the franchise, and his to-be-continued arc here ends with the realization that he, too, is a ghost. You see, he hits the open road with his girlfriend Marilyn (Jessie Ward) and his best buddy Jared (Graham Norris) and they all end up at the haunted rest stop. There, they are confronted by The Driver, the same douche dog that caused all of the problems in the first film. By all accounts, it looks like your average slasher sequel, but then ghosts of past victims start turning up, and nothing is as it seems. The creepy Winnebago family once again arrives on the scene, and it soon becomes obvious that their part in the killings is more than just coincidental. And it's all done with a very creepy 80s aesthetic. Little clues are given about the overall mythos being set up here, but we aren't left with much to go on. This is the second chapter, and there are a lot of loose ends left dangling in the wind. The main problem with the story is that it doesn't really have an end, and we are left wanting more. But isn't that the intentions of a direct-to-DVD franchise? To leave us waiting aimlessly for the next entry. I like the world that Papazian has continued to build upon with this sequel, and he's brilliant at getting his leads back into that Rest Stop. There is one truly great spook scene that sees buddy Jared being slammed around in old, sh*t-filled outhouse. And it makes this tiny treat worth the effort. Overall, it's a great sequel that you should definitely seek out.

Writer/producer John Shiban and director Shawn Papazian set out to explain there franchise intentions with a funny, inspired audio commentary that is almost as much fun to listen to as the film is to watch. They've also included a featurette entitled Doomed to Repeat: The Mythology of Rest Stop, which sets up the ongoing storyline so that you might understand it a little better (especially if you missed the original film). An Alternate Ending finds Tom Hilts returning home to discover that he, himself, has become a ghost. And there are a handful of deleted scenes that help flesh out the story at a longer pace.

Surprisingly cinematic for a direct-to-DVD movie. The film was shot in the wide scope 2.35:1 aspect ration, and I bet it would look gorgeous on the big screen.

The film is presented in Dolby Digital English: Dolby Surround 5.1 and in Spanish: Dolby Surround 5.1.

I love the Raw Feed logo, which looks like an electrical outlet. The cover art showcases a pair of bloody legs headed towards that weird Winnebago. We also get Tom Hilts with an automatic machine gun. For genre fans, this simple image perfectly sets up the awesomeness that abounds within. The back contains some of the Polaroid photos snapped by the creepy Winnebago family dwarf. And it is all splattered with blood. Overall, it's a pretty great box cover. I'd blind buy it on a whim, even if I didn't know what this was.

Rest Stop: Don't Look Back is one of the most inventive horror sequels I've seen in years. It's fun from start to finish, offers up some truly gruesome scenes, and should make most horror hounds happy. This sets up a great series, and I hope all involved make good on their future promises. I, for one, can't wait to see Rest Stop 3.