To say that Night of the Bastard is a bad film would be to misunderstand what it is going for. Co-writers Erik Boccio, Christian Ackerman, Chuck Foster, London May create a simple us vs. them story choc full of everything you would expect to see here both good and bad. Here we have a Carpenteresque scenario with two survivors fighting off outside dangers that revels in its melodrama and absurdity. Drenched in blood and desperation the film defies you to take any issue with its self-referential style.

Reed (London May) wakes up outside of his desert home drunk off of his own homemade concoctions and stumbles back into his isolated home. With his only companion being a pet turtle, Reed wiles away his time in arid solitude. The only real action he sees is the occasional campers that mistake his expansive lot of dirt for open campgrounds. It is on one fateful night that Kyra (Mya Hudson), Pete (Cesar Cipriano), and George (Philip J Rossi) decide to party on Reed’s land. Reed chases the three off with a shotgun, warning them of other dangers, and demanding that they get out of there. Of course the three partiers do NOT listen and soon come upon Claire (Hannah Pierce) and her black-clad entourage of necromancers. Fleeing, Kyra finds safety in reluctant Reed’s nearby home. This leads the cultists to Reed and Kyra and the two must fend off the bloodthirsty gang and survive the night.

The stage is set for a series of gnarly moments that include, self-surgery with a staple gun, oozing blood, and quippy one-liners. We even get the character development moments of forced connection between Reed and Kyra as they learn about one another’s troubled pasts. Of course those moments are brief as co-writer and director Boccio fully understands the purpose of the genre; blood, suspense, and exploitation.

To complain about the absurdity Night of the Bastard would be to misunderstand what it is trying to pull off. The real question to ask is how well do they do Boccio do it. They pull off grindhouse just fine mimicking the grainy, rough-hewn look of Jay Ruggieri lensing and Boccio‘s intentionally jumpy editing contributes nicely. The movie ultimately owes a bit of thanks to the over-the-top performances by Pierce as the sultry cult leader and her gang, along with Hudson and May‘s chemistry as two strangers siding to fight for their lives.

Night of the Bastard isn’t for everyone but it will entertain those who love hammy survival movies. There’s enough effort here to know that everyone involved was aiming for brutal cinema with a satanic panic tinge. If that is your cup of tea you should have a great time.

6 Out of 10