Six strangers sign up for a slasher movie re-enactment game in which they are dropped into the woods and pursued by knife-wielding maniacs. But when the fun turns deadly, Alex has to play the game if she wants to make it out alive.

A young woman called Alex (Marcienne Dwyer) reluctantly accompanies her boyfriend, Nathan (Matt Dellapina) to a “Slasher Sleepout”, an immersive horror experience of sorts. Combining traits from various slasher films, Alex and Nathan join a group of strangers and are taken to the middle of nowhere and are tasked with solving a series of riddles and put through various “extreme situations.” Things get more sinister when it appears it’s more than just a game as the body count seems to rise, but is it all just an elaborate puzzle that’s being staged or are they being hunted down? There are enough twists and turns to keep audiences guessing until the film’s gripping conclusion. Making reference to a number of different horror films; from Friday the 13th to the Saw films, Preston DeFrancis pays homage to the genre while also leaving his own mark through his compelling storytelling and solid execution in what is an engaging and entertaining feature debut. (Jason BECHERVAISE)