DVD Review: Local Flavor Enhances Suspenseful ‘Munger Road’

CHICAGO – Local writer/director Nicholas Smith, who set and shot his lauded indie horror flick “Munger Road” in St. Charles, Illinois, has some undeniable talent. I think his debut gets a little lost in the final act but there is a lot to like about this little movie for even those with no connection to its Chicago roots. You’re going to be deluged with options this Halloween season for your horror-loving time. Take a trip to “Munger Road.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0

“Munger Road” has a little bit of everything. The great Dann Gire is quoted on the back of the case comparing the film to “Blair Witch Project,” “Halloween” and “Psycho” and Smith compares it to “Jaws” in one of the mini-featurettes included on the DVD. A film with such varied influences often falls victim to cluttered ideas and a lack of tonal consistency. And so it’s remarkable how deftly Smith builds tension in the mid-section of his film about a quartet of teenagers trying to track down an urban legend on the night a child murderer might be tracking them. The last twenty minutes gets a little muddy and the last scene is a bit of a narrative cheat but there’s so much to like about what came before that you won’t really mind.

Munger Road was released on DVD on October 2, 2012
Photo credit: Freestyle

Synopsis:

Click here to buy “Munger Road”

On the evening of October 7th, four teenagers from the town of Saint Charles, Illinois venture out to a dark, mysterious road where local legend is that the train tracks have been haunted for years. Unbeknownst to them, while the small town prepares for their annual Scarecrow Festival the next day, a child murderer from the past has escaped imprisonment and his whereabouts are unknown. The Police Chief and his Deputy begin a search in fear the murderer has returned home. At the same time; the teenagers become stuck on Munger Road… unable to call for help. As the police collect more suspicious evidence about the child murderer we slowly realize that the haunting of Munger Road is directly connected to his murderous past. The race is on as the Chief realizes the teenagers are missing and could be in grave danger. As the police search for both the killer and the kids… they realize that the horror hasn’t even begun yet.

Special Features:
o Trailers
o The Legend, The Town, Characters, The Team, Post Production Featurettes

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com