GetAWAY Review: A Fun If Generic Slasher Film

Release date: December 22, 2020 (Digital)
Running time: 82 minutes
Starring:  Emma Norville, Danielle Carrozza, Kyle Mangold 
Written and Directed By: Blayne Weaver

Devastated by a sudden break-up, young actress Maddie needs a getaway from campus to help mend her broken heart. Her best friend lands her a role in the student slasher flick shooting this weekend at a camp deep in the Virginia forest. It’s the perfect place to unwind, but no matter how far into the woods she goes, her problems keep sneaking up behind her. Before the film’s crew can shoot their first frame, their production gains an unwelcome new crew member . . . and he’s out for blood! Props go missing, equipment is stolen, and the bodies pile up. A crazed maniac has zeroed in on the students of this film class, but nothing is truly as it seems in GetAWAY. The cast and crew turn on each other as they fight for their lives trying to escape the slaughter. And the bloodthirsty psychopath shoots each grisly demise for his own perverted movie. 

GetAWAY starts off right with a classic slasher film opening that is a fun compilation of the genre's history.  And the film definitely has a love of the genre.  There are some funny scenes in the opening that have film students dissing on various film and genre standards that will have anyone who follows the industry laughing.  And the movie is set with film students which is a nice touch as the entire film does feel like a fun film school project.  As you would expect with that type of setup, there is some overacting but it is not too distracting.  The cast pulls together a lot of different characters and personalities, which makes for a generally entertaining experience.  But it also means that when people start falling there is less of an impact because I didn't get too attached to many of them.

However, GetAWAY feels very indie.  The effects are so so and the overall film has a film project feel.  That's not altogether a bad thing, but it does hurt the overall engagement of the film.  And the main issue with the film is that it is a slasher that just feels like it goes through the motions.  Most of the deaths are isolated and quick, there isn't much tension or fear to build up.  The only one like this was the very first death, which definitely felt like the most planned of them.  But the remaining deaths just feel like each scene is a person hears something, killer shows up, killer kills them, next scene.  There isn't much time to be scared because everything just happens so quickly and mechanically.  And the effects aren't that great either, so the level of gore doesn't elevate the otherwise by the book deaths.  And finally, the reveal didn't have much effect on me or really make sense.  It was a surprise, but again, I didn't feel that emotionally invested in the characters at that point and the story justification just felt tacked on.  

GetAWAY has a large cast of potential victims and an indie feel in this fun slasher picture, but the by the book deaths and lack of tension make this an experience you might want to pass on.. 

Pass on it.

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GetAWAY is available digitally and on demand. 

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