Southbound (2016)

Best movie of this year hands down!

One of my all time favorites.

Fresh and Exciting

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

I have watched this entire movie through (although I felt like quiting during most of it) and I am still unknown with the plotline.The fact that there were 5 storylines that followed eachother up was a cool concept that could have worked really well, but the only problem with it was the execution. The links between the storylines were too minor. They didn't have anything to do with eachother and might have well been 5 different short movies. Even the parts that were supposed to be scary, were just too vague and weird to make me feel even the slightest bit of thrill or shock. This movie has honestly not even done one thing that qualifies it to fall under the horror genre, so I wonder why they sell it as such. Each storyline was way too short as well, which made it impossible for the watcher to connect with any of the people being "chased(?)". This led to me not caring about what happened to any of them. At the end of the movie I just felt confused, unsatisfied and annoyed about the hour and a half I would never get back.3/10. -Imme van Gorp

I enjoyed this movie thoroughly, because I knew what I was in for. And you will, too, as long as you like horror classics, short stories, and some gore.Everyone loved the one of the accident the most. I liked them all. But I will not spoil a thing. I will tell you, though, that there is a bit of predictability if you are a hardcore fan, and that you are going to be scared no matter what type of fan you are.Could it have been better? Well, I gave it an 8 for a reason. It is, by no means, a masterpiece. But then again, if we look at the budget and what this movie aims to achieve, I should have given it 11 points.It is a good movie for a date night, or for any night that caught you in the mood for classic horror.

I won't argue low reviews, everybody is entitled their opinion, but I am very disappointed this is currently at a 5.9. The thread that ties these stories together is that these people deserve to be here or play some part in this world. I like that the filmmakers don't see fit to explain why they belong there: once the premise is established, you assume they belong and don't need to know any more about it. It's almost fun how they avoid over-explaining. The acting was good, the creepy moments were sufficiently creepy, the gory moments sufficiently gory, and despite not giving you much to connect to, the characters are portrayed in a way that you can root for or against them.I think the filmmakers set themselves a common thread and were able to tie the four separate stories together expertly. I don't want to blow this up so you approach it with any expectations. If you like horror anthologies, please just check this one out.

After watching Southbound, I was left with the sensation that I hadn't really been able to understand it. So, I decided to watch it again (something I rarely do before writing these reviews) and, effectively, the second visit helped me to fill in the holes and comprehend the intention of the movie better. I don't know whether to recommend that "double exposition" in order to appreciate the many pros of Southbound (even though there will probably be intelligent spectators who will understand it from the first time); I just wanted to mentioned it as a warning. Having cleared that out, let's focus on this anthology film itself. The first tale (The Way Out) is the briefest one, but it makes a pretty good job at establishing the cruel and disturbing tone of the whole movie, as well as a black sense of humor which reminded me of the endings of The Twilight Zone; the production design is very attractive, and even though some digital effects could have been better, it was definitely a good start. The second tale (Siren) is the most normal one, and I also found it interesting, with an ending which links it to the following tale in an efficient way. The third tale (The Accident) displays the most extreme gore of the anthology, and it's supported by the overwhelming anguish suffered by the main character, challenging us to think what we would do in his place. The fourth tale (Jailbreak) is the one I liked the least, but it's the one which offers the most clues to solve the big puzzle of Southbound. Finally, The Way Out retakes elements of the first tale in order to "close the circle"... even though we still have to deduct the rest of the enigma on our own. Oh, I forgot to mention the recurring element in all the tales: a radio DJ whose pseudo-existential monologues tell us about the consequences of sin and redemption. In conclusion, I liked Southbound pretty much mainly because of its global consistency, which made it a deeper narrative experience than the arbitrary parade of styles and techniques from other horror compilations. So, I recommend it due to its high ambition which makes us think, and because it proves the authentic potential of the anthology format, which is rarely taken advantage of like this. In the most literal sense, I found Southbound more than the sum of its parts.