MAKE A WISH

MAKE A WISH

On one sunny weekend, a group of women set off individually to meet their old pal Susan (Moynan King) for a weekend camping trip.

First we meet Michelle (Nora Stein), who breaks down en route. She leaves a message on Susan's mobile phone asking for help, and then gets out of her car to inspect the damage. It's here that she falls foul of a cleaver-wielding assailant.

Next, we're introduced the rest of the potential campers: Monica (Virginia Baeta) and her new rich girlfriend Andrea (Amanda Spain), lesbian-turned-straight Linda (Melenie Freedom Lynn), attractive free spirit Chloe (Lava Alapai) and superstitious Dawn (Hollace Starr). It turns out that all of these, bar Andrea, are former girlfriends of Susan. And all but one of them - Dawn - dumped Susan.

So it's awfully nice of Susan to invite them all to a camping weekend in honour of her birthday, no? Even if Linda's boyfriend Steve (Eric Vichi) does feel the need to follow them, to keep an eye on his woman's behaviour.

Once the group are driven to their remote destination by Susan, they set about making themselves comfortable and the inevitable quirks and bickering ensue. Andrea is openly jealous of Monica's history with Susan, while Chloe spends most of her time bitching about her vegan dietary needs and Dawn bores everyone with her spiritualist diatribe.

A short distance away, ranger Martinez (Susan Durham) receives a disconcerting telephone call warning of an escaped lunatic roaming the area. Cue private detective McFarland (Neil Wilson), who turns up looking for said loony and shows Martinez (but not us) a picture of his quarry.

In the meantime, our lesbian group continue to discuss sexual politics, kiss each other when they're alone and iron out past differences while enjoying the odd spot of sunbathing in-between. They're blissfully unaware that Steve lies in a field nearby with his ankle caught in a bear trap, or that a killer has already slashed open the throat of a second member of their posse.

Come the second night of camping, and following a rather tender love-making episode between Monica and Andrea, the ante is upped as the killer closes in and the body count increases. But who can the killer be? McFarland? The ranger? One of the girls? Creepy local Zeke (Bob Peterson)? And, more pertinently … what possible motive could the killer have?

You've probably figured all of that out already. MAKE A WISH is pretty hackneyed fare, with a plot that follows by-the-numbers horror conventions and a 'twist' ending that is as obvious as the melodramatic music employed to signpost each murder scene.

In its favour, the film is an unpretentious low budget offering with some attractive outdoor photography and an agreeably zippy pace. The performances are natural and unforced, helping the characters to come across as more likeable than your average slasher film troupe.

The gore is reserved, but the minimal approach does prove to be quite effective in a couple of scenes. Certainly, director Sharon Ferranti should be applauded for keeping the horror scenes dark and straight-faced.

Elsewhere in Lauren Johnson's script, some humour does shine through. And it's welcome, offering a healthy balance alongside the film's darker moments. The script is largely intelligent and aids the performances in this respect. My only reservation is with regards to characterisation: I'm not sure how a lesbian audience would take to seeing these women portrayed as rather promiscuous, morally bankrupt types.

MAKE A WISH doesn't score high on originality, but gets by on energy and occasional wit. The horror elements may be a little tame for some, but all in all it's an enjoyable caper marginally let down by a silly denouement.

The film is presented in a reasonably sharp 1.78:1anamorphic transfer, boasting bright and colourful images. It's not the most defined presentation, but perfectly watchable and competent considering the low budget origins.

The English 2.0 audio track is clear and consistent throughout, offering problem-free playback.

An animated main menu page leads into animated sub-menus, including a scene-selection menu that allows access to the main feature via 18 chapters.

The only extras on the disc are a 5-minute interview with a giggly Ferranti, and trailers for MAKE A WISH, DO I LOVE YOU? and GOLDFISH MEMORY.

A decent release for a relatively obscure 21st Century horror offering. MAKE A WISH may be more conventional (and tamer) than a lesbian slasher film sounds on paper, but is still well worth a look.

Review by Stu Willis


 
Released by Millivres Multimedia
Region 2 - PAL
Rated 18
Extras :
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