Working late night hours is not usually anyone’s preference. However, when people either need the money or if their schedule only works within that time frame, then there’s a reason why the 3rd shift exists. Of course, with that comes the drawbacks like the usual lack of sleep. The one thing that should be taken care of before any of this occurs though is proper safety clearance. A building and or facility must be approved at meeting the standard levels of safety before touting their late night hour opportunities. That doesn’t seem to be the case here, let alone anything else, like calling it the “graveyard shift”. Despite that, this film manages to be entertaining enough for a little fun in the dark. After all, it’s based on a short story from who else; Stephen King. What a surprise.
Written by John Esposito who has worked on the newest incarnation of Creepshow and directed by Ralph S. Singleton, in his only theatrical credit, this monster film is unique to watch mainly for the experience. Not because of how the story is executed. The story is about a group of mill workers sweating it out during their shifts to make ends meet for their selfish warden Mr. Warwick (Stephen Macht). On top of that, the lot they work in is infested with vermin. When one of the employees dies mysteriously in an “accident”, a new member is brought on board by the name of John Hall (David Andrews). While Singleton only directed this feature he had experience prior being assistant director to Death Wish (1974), an associate producer to Pet Sematary (1989) and a production manager to Harlem Nights (1989).
As mentioned before the execution to the storytelling is its weakest point. There’s nothing about the narrative that makes it different from other creature features or other Stephen King films. Characters are written plain as day from the very beginning, so to expect something new would lead to disappointment. There’s no explanation provided as to how the creature in this film came to be, which can make it tough for some since it takes place in what seems like contemporary times, not the near future. What probably makes the story the most baffling is how unrealistic the working conditions are. Thousands of rats litter the work site and this place is still allowed to run daily operations? There’s even a cleanup crew where they’re literally moving junk from one end of the room to the other. What exactly is being accomplished here?
Aside from these issues though, the actors all do a decent job in their roles. Better known for later playing Robert Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), David Andrews as the lead is believable. Kelly Wolf as Jane Wisconsky is a good second actress to that of Andrews. Stephen Macht as Mr. Warwick plays an interesting antagonist. He’s definitely different from all the rest. The fact that he harasses his employees makes it all the more unrealistic. This kind of stuff doesn’t stand nowadays. There’s also appearances from Andrew Divoff from the Wishmaster films, Vic Polizos who played a Coroner in Night of the Creeps and even Brad Dourif playing an exterminator. Most of the actors involved, seemed to have gone on to be successful in one way or another.
Visually speaking, the film looks great for its time. Since its budget was low to begin with, it looks like most of that went into the practical effects and set design which are fantastic looking. Viewers will know these actors were handling real props. While gore and blood isn’t always on screen, there is enough to satisfy. This is also thanks to Peter Stein working as the cinematographer, who also worked on Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Pet Sematary (1989). Finally, the music composed by Anthony Marinelli and Brian Banks provided a decent effort in their discography. Having composed over one-hour music in their newly released album, the score is very textural and dissonant which resonates very well for this feature. Typically, stronger themes are required to make a film memorable, but they figured this one out surprisingly well. Considering they started with Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, it’s definitely a one up.
The pitfall of this movie is just how highly improbable the situation is and also the narrative being too formulaic for horror fans. This doesn’t mean the other components should be discredited. The performances are fine, along with great looking visuals and eerily creepy music.
Points Earned --> 6:10
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