Dark Ride (2006)

 After last night’s House of Fears, I decided to stick with the carnival, amusement park, ride theme with the 2006 After Dark HorrorFest entry Dark Ride. With the film loosely based in Asbury Park, it should be interesting after spending Saturday with the undead at the New Jersey Zombie Walk, maybe the movie will have some of the same creepiness.

Plot / A group of six friends on a road trip stop off at an amusement park attraction named Dark Ride, unaware that a psychopath, who brutally murdered two girls, has just escaped a mental institution and is seeking refuge there.

Wow, talk about cliché and an overdone plot! This one was definitely a conglomeration of 1980s slasher flicks, complete with the almost inevitable attempt at a twisted ending. While there are a few redeeming qualities with some creepy scenery and a couple of decent effects, for the most part this movie was just lacking. There was excessively too much dialogue (and poor acting) during the opening half of the movie which tended to drag (still leaving rude and undeveloped characters), and the when they finally reached the ride, the pacing remained uneven and the script remained ridiculous. Honestly, I do not mind a clichéd movie when done right, and unfortunately, this one was not! Luckily, I saw it for free, because if I would have spent money on it, I would be a lot more upset.