The Sand |
  • USA • 2015 • 84m •    • Directed by: Isaac Gabaeff. • Starring: Brooke Butler, Cleo Berry, Cynthia Murell, Dean Geyer, Meagan Holder, Mitchel Musso, Hector David Jr., Nikki Leigh, Bryan Boone, Jamie Kennedy, Adam Powell, Etalvia Cashin, Jennifer Churchich. • Music by: Vincent Gillioz.     After an all-night graduation beach party, a group of hung-over twenty-somethings awake to a beating sun, and a seemingly carnivorous beach that devours anything with a heartbeat that touches the sand.
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Review:
I stumbled on this movie when I was browsing around various horror movie lists, not knowing anything about it and having spent most of the day marathon watching bad horror movies. At the time I didn't think much other than that the synopsis sounded amusing. Having zero expectations and not knowing a thing about the film, I was able to just sit back and enjoy. Now, I personally love watching bad horror movies of all types and quality. It's kind of a hobby for my wife and I to watch several bad horror movies in a row, usually as background noise while we do other things. After watching a few other similar quality movies this was the last one for tonight and I have to say, this movie has to be one of my favorites that I have seen in a while.
Basically The Sand is a movie adaptation of the game children play where they pretend the floor is lava quick-sand acid what ever version you played as a kid. A group of friends wake up in the morning after a night of heavy drinking and partying only to discover that most of their friends are missing and that the only thing remaining of their camp site on the beach is a few scraps of tents, blankets, and various other beach camping gear. The movie wastes very little time in introducing the danger element of being surrounded by killer sand. The rest of the run time is dedicated to watching the group try to escape their situation, as several people are picked off by the sand. Now I know this movie doesn't have a deep complex plot or anything like that, but I still want to avoid spoilers.
This is definitely a "bad" horror movie, but its the kind of bad that you can just love to put on for a few hours and enjoy every minute of it. Most of the time the characters are like-able, their actions make sense, and the acting is actually surprisingly good. The cast isn't going to be winning any awards but compared to similar movies this cast does their job well and do a good job of keeping the audience invested. The special effects are mostly believable and are quite good for a low budget trashy horror film. This isn't going to blow your mind like or anything but it wont feel like it was done by a group of college students in a backyard like some bad horror movies do.
This movie stood out from the others I had watched in this marathon in that it was the only movie that drew me in so much I stopped what I had been doing and actually gave the film my full attention. Very few movies can get me to turn off the game I was playing at the time, so this movie definitely was doing all the right things. Once I was sucked in, about twenty minutes of run time, I stayed sucked in till the end. I enjoyed it so much that I think I will watch it again in the near future with my wife, since I know she will enjoy it just as much as I did.
Now even with all the good there is of course a list of flaws in the movie. There is some relationship drama thrown in at a very bizarre moment in time that made no sense. This drama scene could have fit perfectly if they had just put it in about 15 minutes later when the group wasn't in immediate mortal danger. Some of the other actions by the characters did feel out of place and a bit nonsensical. However, this in no way feels detrimental to the movie overall, and it can easily be waved off.
In closing, I have to say I'm very glad that I stumbled across this movie and I will be adding it to my list of hidden gem horror films. The cast gives a solid performance, the story is simple but engaging, and the special effects won't make you cringe. I would highly recommend this movie if you are a fan of the Tremors series, as this movie feels kind of similar but doesn't have the same level of comedic value. If you enjoy watching "bad" horror movies or any kind of low budget monster horror sci-fi horror thriller, then you should definitely give this movie a chance. Don't have high expectations or a serious mind set and you can't go wrong here.
TLDR: If you love watching bad horror movies then this is the movie for you. This movie is not scary nor is it meant to be, outside of a bit of gore, but it is very entertaining and enjoyable. Come into it with zero expectations and don't take it too serious.
Review by aroject from the Internet Movie Database.
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