Movie Review: Laid to Rest (2009)

The movie stars Kevin Gage, Bobbi Sue Luther, Sean Whalen, Lena Headey and Nick Principe.

I came across this film on one of our movie channels a few nights ago and, thinking it looked somewhat interesting, I decided to record it. My wife and I ended up watching it over the past couple of evenings and, while the movie seemed like it would have potential, it turned out to be kind of disappointing.

I think my biggest problem with this movie is it leaves too much of the story out. Chromeskull (Principe) was one of those villains that could be very memorable. But, because he lacks even a basic backstory, he just never reached the impact he could have. Heck, even if we just knew his motive, it would have been a serious improvement.

I think the biggest disappointment in this movie, however, has to be his would-be victim (Luther). Much like the rest of the movie, there was quite a bit of potential for her. Since she had amnesia, there were an unlimited number of twists the writers could have thrown in, ranging from her knowing who Chromeskull was to being his accomplice. Unfortunately, the writers never took advantage of that potential and, when we do learn about her past, it is a major let down.

On top of it, she was actually kind of annoying. I get she got knocked over the head and is a bit confused as a result of that. But, her not remembering what a coffin was called (she referred to it as a dead box) and various other conversations, including "going to the police lady's house," made her seem much more comical than she probably should have.

I also wasn't crazy about the movie's ending. Yes, there was quite a bit of blood and gore. However, between learning about the young woman's uneventful past and never learning anything about Chromeskull, I couldn't help but feel a bit ripped off and, unfortunately, there really wasn't much else about this movie that made up for that.

The writers wasted an awesome bad guy and a victim who had so much potential. As a result, this movie really wasn't anywhere near as memorable as it could have been and is only worth watching if you're looking for a film with lots of gore.

My Grade: C