Penny Dreadful (2006)

Director: Richard Brandes

Writer: Richard Brandes, Diane Doniol-Valcroze, Arthur Flam

Tagline: Don't forget to breathe...

Actors: Rachel Miner, Mimi Rogers, Chad Todhunter, Elyse Mirto, Casey Sander, Michael Berryman, Liz Davies, Mickey Jones

Runtime: 1h 32m

Category: Horrorfest, Killer, Psychological

Synopsis: Penny is a young girl suffering from motorphobia (a fear of cars/automobiles). She and her therapist are heading up into the mountains where many years earlier, she and her mother and father got into a car accident. Both of her parents ended up dying. Now she is on a “journey” to conquer her debilitating fear. At nightfall, her therapist, Orianna, almost runs down a hitchhiker. They give him a lift to a nearby campground, which looks deserted. Once he is out of the car, Penny and Orianna drive off in a frenzied hurry. As one of their tires goes flat, the hell begins. Is the hitchhiker just playing around, or are his intentions more malicious? Just remember…don’t forget to breathe…

Review: After reviewing four other Horrorfest films, all being quite good, I had high expectations for this one. Unfortunately I was misled. The movie was altogether lame and devoid of climax (proper climax). I was so disappointed that I ended up lying on my bed to watch the movie; finding myself fighting to stay awake. That may give you an indication as to what kind of movie this was.

The story was just plain…well…boring. It is an old story and there was no real elaboration in either direction. It is a shame this movie was inducted into the Horrorfest series. It is your average hitchhiker movie: one or more people driving on a long country road, they hit a hitchhiker, pick him/her up, and from then on they are picked off one by one. A story that is getting very boring.

One actor was really good; Rachel Miner did a good job playing a hysteric. The rest of the acting was nil. Considering most of the movie was of her, it makes sense to ease up on the rest of the script.

The gore was pretty lame. A few kill scenes and some fake blood and you got an independent horror movie. Unfortunately, this movie was not even really that bloody. It was just so disappointing.

Rating: 10. The only thing saving this movie is Rachel Miner’s performance. The rest of the movie was just plain boring. I wish I could get my $3.99 back from Blockbuster and slap the cashier for renting me this dumb ass flick. I’m sorry Horrorfest fans…this is a dud! (10of25).