I agree, I was really skeptical going into this since I've just been running through horror movies on Amazon Prime and found that about 90% end up relying too much on some clever take on a tried and true plot or are just shot too poorly to take seriously and get through.
Didn't know that this was done with a two man crew so I can assume that one or both of them are really good at shot composition because this does a really good job with lighting and framing and, i'm assuming again, making what is probably a regular sized building appear to be a claustrophobic maze.
I think that I can only muster two complaints about it. Pacing seems really sluggish in the beginning. It pays off when things kick off but there are definitely some parts of the road trip that feel like, and end up being, filler that makes an already slow burn into the main action feel like too slow of a burn. Sound is really bad at times and dialog gets undecipherable with echoes and the room mic. Tucson has, probably literally, tons of great sound people but now that I know it was just two guys I can understand the limitations of them being as equally expert at sound as they seem to be with camera work and editing. It is a tough piece of the film to fall short on however and can make some of the really good scenes not rise up to their true potential.
For what it's worth, and I don't even know if the cast or crew will check this out, I'm really impressed with what was made. Went into it kind of expecting the usual Amazon Prime horror flick that I'd have a 90% chance of shutting off and found out about a guy that knows how to make a really good slasher film that was well acted, well shot and had some great practical effects. Kind of like a darker version of an early Sam Raimi movie. Great job on this one and it was nice to see some familiar buildings from southern Arizona incorporated (I think that I lived in the complex where the exterior of the girls' apartment was early on in the movie).
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