The Horror Show
Party Bus to Hell
by Rolfe Kanefsky
There are a lot of interesting things that can drive villainous characters in horror films. Sometimes they kill and do whatever it is they do because of some family curse or vendetta. Other times it's about a killer trying to make themselves feel whole. Sometimes they are acting out some political doctrine. Other times it's a cult. And that's what we will be focusing on today because I recently watched Party Bus to Hell and I'm here to talk to you about it.
Party Bus to Hell begins mid-moment as Tara Reid runs around outside, clearly in danger. There's a lot of desperation and clearly she is in trouble, as is the man who is joining her. At this point my mind began guessing what the issue could be. Could it be some Hills Have Eyes-esque family hiding in the mountains or maybe it's the opening to a film within a film? Neither of these guesses proved correct, but the film at least starts out with a lot of energy and is engaging enough.
From there we move to our main cast. Put simply, they are a bunch of young people aboard a party bus to Burning Man. In classic fashion, the bus has an accident and the group find themselves stuck in the middle of nowhere. However, they are not as alone as they think. For there are others sharing the landscape with them. Others who have a strange set of beliefs and a violent plan.
The film gets moving quickly and the majority of it revolves around the unassuming bus travelers having to take on a whole bunch of baddies. The early blood/gore effects had a more digital feel to them, but I was happy to see more practical effects make an appearance later on. These are the moments in which the film comes alive the most. The gore effects are not over the top or even always on screen, but there's some good decapitations and blood-flow throughout the film's running time.
Party Bus to Hell doesn't take itself too seriously but it's shot well enough and none of the acting is particularly bad. This may not seem like I'm heaping praise, but for this type of of campy chop 'em up film it's noteworthy that some effort was really put forth. The characters are not super original or memorable, but they're all fun to watch interact and I never get them mixed up, something that can happen with more bland films.
All in all, I enjoyed Party Bus to Hell and that's the only real recommendation a person needs. It didn't blow me away or change the game but it was a lot more entertaining than it could have been. It has some funny moments, some decent gore, and stays away from predictable territory for the most part. So, if you're looking to just shut your brain off for a bit and watch something wild, I'd say it's at least worth a look.
HMS received a screener of this film in exchange for review.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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