Michael Biehn – Cut To The Chase

Directed By: Adam Wingard

Written By: Simon Barrett

Cinematography: Oren Soffer

Editor: Adam Avery and Josh Schaeffer

Cast: Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Drew Starkey, Michael Biehn, Reginald Vel Johnson, Rebecca Hall, Eric Wareheim, Alex Pereira

When a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers break loose in the desert, a badass Army sniper must unleash hell to protect her young daughter.

I can already understand why ONSLAUGHT has disappointed some people. In fact, I almost feel like this is one of those movies that comes with a built-in warning label

Because if you walk into this expecting a nonstop action extravaganza, THE TERMINATOR with a female lead, or some glorious 1980s style bloodbath that spends two hours blowing things up, you might find yourself checking your watch.

But personally, I really enjoyed this. And I think a lot of that comes down to taste.

ONSLAUGHT is patient. Almost deliberately so. It spends a surprising amount of time establishing its world, its characters, its atmosphere and, most importantly, the feeling that something very bad is eventually going to happen. And I don’t movies that make me wait. Let’s us in with the atmosphere and give

This feels less like a traditional action movie and more like a siege film that has wandered into a science-fiction nightmare. There is action throughout, but it arrives in bursts, almost as if the movie occasionally remembers, Oh yeah we’re supposed to be making an action movie.

The story itself is admittedly pretty thin. There are characters and bits of information that seem like they are going to become enormously important, only for the movie to leave some of those pieces sitting on the table. At times, it feels less like a complete story and more like the first chapter of a larger universe. maybe that’s intentional.

Because ONSLAUGHT exists in the same universe as director Adam Wingard’s THE GUEST, though this feels like a much more conventional cousin. Where THE GUEST was sleek, mysterious and wonderfully strange, this feels more like Wingard trying to reconnect with the scrappier independent filmmaker underneath all those giant monsters.

After directing GODZILLA VS. KONG and GODZILLA x KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE there’s something oddly refreshing about watching Wingard scale things back and concentrate on mood, character and visual style.

And boy, does this movie have style.

The pounding synth-heavy score immediately gives the film that wonderful 1980s action-thriller flavor. The cinematography, lighting and production design create an atmosphere that feels intentionally retro without simply becoming cosplay.

There were moments when I felt like I was watching a lost John Carpenter movie. And for me, that is a compliment. Especially if it’s one from his heyday

This is a movie more interested in building tension than immediately releasing it. The camera lingers. The atmosphere hangs around. The threat gradually becomes clearer. You spend much of the movie waiting for the inevitable explosion of violence. When it finally arrives, the action is impressive.

Is it quite as epic as the movie has trained you to imagine it will be? Not necessarily.

The film spends so much time building toward that final confrontation that your imagination almost becomes the production designer. You start creating a bigger, crazier climax in your own head. But when the payoff comes, there is still plenty of carnage to enjoy. I appreciated that ONSLAUGHT didn’t feel the need to constantly throw something at me just to keep me awake.

Dan Stevens is particularly interesting here. Following THE GUEST, he once again gets to disappear beneath layers of makeup and play somebody considerably stranger than the handsome leading man he could so easily be playing. Stevens seems increasingly interested in becoming a character actor rather than simply being another conventional leading man, and honestly, the more bizarre the role, the better he seems to be.

And the film’s lead Adria Arjona gets to demonstrate that she can carry this kind of material, too. There’s a physicality to the performance that makes the action feel believable without turning the character into some invincible superhero.

Ultimately, ONSLAUGHT is a movie that lives more by its characters, atmosphere, music and visuals than its plot.

Sometimes I would rather watch a filmmaker execute a straightforward idea with personality than watch a complicated story that has absolutely nothing to say visually.

That’s what I think Adam Wingard deserves credit for here.

Whether ONSLAUGHT completely works for you probably depends on what you want from it. If you’re looking for relentless action, you may walk away disappointed. If you like slow-burn genre movies, Carpenter-inspired atmosphere, synth scores, strange characters and films that take their sweet time before finally letting the monsters out of the cage, there’s a lot to appreciate.

Did I want a little more from the ending?

Absolutely. It’s entertaining, But I also think there’s something admirable about a filmmaker making the movie he wants to make, rather than the movie we have already decided we want to see.

Give it a try.

Grade: B-

Directed By: Geoffrey Wright
Written By: Ken Selden
Cinematography By: Anthony B. Richmond
Editor: John F. Link

Cast: Brittany Murphy, Michael Biehn, Jesse Bradford, Jay Mohr, Candy Clark, Bre Blair, Gabriel Mann, Douglas Spain, Natalie Ramsey, Kristen Miller, Michael Weston, Keram Malicki-Sanchez, Clementine Ford

A psychotic serial slasher starts a bloodthirsty murder rampage at Cherry Falls high school that only kills the local high school virgins. This leads to the local teenage population organizing a sex party in order to lose their virginity and thus no longer be targets

I am shocked I never reviewed this sooner. This is a film that usually is bright up every once in a while. it has a great premise that never seems to get a chance to rise up to its full potential. As even the parts that are crazy under another set of changes could have made the film a bit more respectable rather than ridiculed. This is a film that should have been bigger than it ever got a chance to rise to.

This film was part of the SCREAM clones. Teen horror films that were self-aware. That obviously flooded the market after that film’s success. This film tries to be more satirical and ridiculous at times then becomes more suspenseful.

Unlike SCREAM isn’t as smart though it does seem self-aware. This film also tends to go over the top a bit too much. That it’s not shocking anymore but common. Despite all the problems the film had behind the scenes something feels lost as envelope-pushing as the film could have been. It’s a film that deserves a do-over

The film’s hook is that it reverses the usual trope of sex equaling death. Here we have a serial killer who hunts down virgins. once the teenagers find out they decide to have a teenage orgy at a house party. Where the end of the film takes place.

Though the film can be sexual. Not much is really show. In fact, much of the orgy scenes were cut out to be able to get an R rating rather than an X. Though the distributors weren’t convinced and pulled a theatrical release. So instead the film premiered on the USA network. Where it was cut up, even more, to play on television. Though released in its R-rated cut in Europe. Where it had mild success.

The film isn’t great but does have a good premise. Luckily it obviously has a sense of humor about itself.

The film is scary when it needs To be. Though shockingly predictable, doesn’t spare us from trying to make everyone it can into a suspect. If anything its tone and just general weirdness set it apart. It does help explain its cult status.

This film stars Brittany Murphy. One of the few films where her star quality is used to good effect. Where she has the natural goofiness, quirkiness, and sweetness she usually brings to her parts. As well as one of the few she played a lead in that is rewatchable to a degree. She in fact is the only reason I bought this film out when it was released on DVD in 2000 and on a disc that included 2 other HORROR films that seemed to also air on the USA network. Her performance seems to be day and night as at times she seems lost and goes from silly comedic to deadly serious and in one scene experienced seductress out of nowhere. Even as her character is a virgin.

Due to ongoing censorship issues with the MPAA, the film was never given a theatrical release in the United States and was released as a TV movie on the USA Network. As a result, Cherry Falls is the most expensive television movie ever produced, with a budget of around $14 million. Though it has a pedigree behind it. A rather solid cast with some strange elements.

The film actually shows comedian Jay Mohr more as a character actor rather than just a comedic presence.

The film is funny sometimes I intentionally. As it is ridiculous a lot of times and could easily become camp if the director was more on that wavelength.

Though the film has more of a 1990’s feel. It is almost the 1980’s inspired by it’s simple easy attitude.

Grade: C-

Tag: Michael Biehn

ONSLAUGHT (2026)

CHERRY FALLS (2000)