Horror Movie Review: The Last Showing (2014)

Well, this was a nice surprise…

At a local cinema, Stuart is an elderly projectionist laid off from his job & forced to work concessions. Stuart is a film purist & has distaste for the current film world & what it has become. He clashes with his younger manager who sees Stuart as part of a dying breed.

Stuart is planning something though & after seeing Martin & Allie arrive for a late night showing of The Hills Have Eyes II he sets his plan in motion. He shuts the cinema down for the night, incapacitating his manager, drugging Allie & trapping them all in overnight.

Stuart wants to make his own horror movie & using CCTV & a handheld camera sets about filming what happens next.

It’s an interesting premise & one filled with intrigue…you’re never to sure what direction the film will go in next. This is mainly down to the amazing Robert Englund who plays Stuart as a sinister yet sympathetic character.

On one side you want him to get his comeuppance while on the other you can’t help but gleefully enjoy his hounding of Martin. A classic scene sees Stuart on one side of a glass door filming an irate Martin. Stuart then asks Martin to do the scene again with a plan to put it on the DVD extras.

The film does begin to drift away in the final third as the police get involved & the whole premise gest a bit far-fetched. Although Stuarts plan to get away with it is well thought out & exciting.

I was worried that it might be quite dark throughout the movie as the cinema is effectively shut down for the night but the use of lighting throughout makes it all much easier to see.

Martin & Allie both play their roles nicely with Martin getting the most to work with. The eventual edited final film (shown over the credits) is an excellent touch & shows Martin in a dangerous new light.

The tension never quite reaches the heights meant by the film-makers though & a little more black comedy might have helped it standout from the crowd.

A really good horror movie that has a interesting & believable story…up to a point. Great acting with a small cast sees you get invested in their struggles.