“I REPEAT OFFICER IN NEED OF FUCKING ASSISTANCE”

Story: A rookie cop’s first night on the job. Gotta be rough, what with the hazing and the in-jokes… This precinct is a little different though. The station has officially moved to new digs, with Rookie and Sarge the only two people in the building for the final shift in this building. Last shift, if you will. (#titledrop) Just a room full of old, junky evidence that wasn’t thought important enough to transfer. Hey, didn’t Sarge say all calls were routed elsewhere? And what’s up with the lights flickering? Whatta dump.

Scares: YES. All kinds.

Splat factor: Blood on the walls, the after-effects of people getting hurt. Middling stuff.

Closing scene “shocker”?: No, but the climax is effective as hell.

Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?:

Trick or Treat?: Effective as hell. The “one character in an abandoned building” story is done well here. With only one character onscreen for the bulk of the film, you can immediately identify with poor rookie Officer Loren. I love that when she’s scared, she recites her police oath, not any religious stuff. It’s an excellent way to define her character without spoon-feeding the audience. Juliana Harkavy (Arrow‘s Black Canary) does an incredible job, delivering a pitch-perfect performance and managing to command the screen throughout.

Really well done jump scares. And the blend of claustrophobic terror and ghost story has me harking back to Ringu. Especially with the ratting the ghosts Loren hears. Ripoff or unintentional homage? Don’t care, it works. The blend of psychological horror and haunted house (er, building) genres makes for one gripping, terrifying tale. As things go on, Loren can’t seem to trust what she’s seeing, and definitely isn’t the type to believe what’s going on…until things turn up to eleven. Great slow burn, as things get progressively weirder and weirder, and the ghosts/people/supernatural play a menacing cat and mouse with the poor rookie.

Check this one out. Maybe with the lights on, maybe with ’em off. You ready?

Score: 4 out of 5 pumpkins.