Review: Reaptown (2020)
Reaptown, the new film from writer/director Dutch Marich, takes its name from its main location, the Reaptown Railway Museum in, where else, Reaptown Nevada. It’s there that Carrie Baldwin (Brooke Bradshaw) is serving out her time on work release as a security guard. Reaptown is also where her sister Trisha (Dani Colleen) vanished.
As she does her rounds, she begins to sense a presence. One that might have something to do with her sister’s disappearance. As she tries to find her sister, Lauren (Chrissy Carpenter) is working on a story about a string of disappearances linked to work release assignments in Reaptown.
Like the director’s previous release, Infernum, Reaptown is a low budget film, very low budget. Luckily, the Nevada Northern Railway Museum makes an incredible location, with its rail yard and various buildings. The scenes of Carrie walking through it at night are full of atmosphere, with drone shots used frequently to reinforce how isolated it is. The town is in the middle of nowhere, and the rail yard is an isolated area within the town.
Reaptown actually has a theme of isolation and loneliness and the small cast enhances it. We see very few people, though we hear several others via phone calls and recorded messages. Even though it was filmed last year it feels like one of the COVID lockdown films we’re seeing now. Among the things Lauren uncovers is the fact all the missing women had little in the way of family or friends. All Carrie had was her sister. And. as the poster says “In Reaptown, loneliness is deadly”.
While tense, the final act does have a couple of issues. I can’t believe that given the choice between going back to jail, going on the run, or going back to the Museum knowing what’s there Carrie goes back. And I do wish the script had explained a bit more about the Bloodshifter, it might have helped the ending make a bit more sense.
In the end, Reaptown is a creepy microbudget film. There isn’t much in the way of effects but there is lots of atmosphere and a solid performance by Brooke Bradshaw as Carrie. This is the second film I’ve seen from Marich and the second I’ve liked. I’m curious to see what he does next.
Reaptown is available to stream via Indie Rights. You can check the film’s Facebook page for more details.
This this movie doesn’t make any sense. i.e. Like the bloodshifter… Why would he only eat women and children and what age made them not children anymore because they said that he didn’t eat men but for some reason they said that he ate some man’s throat which didn’t make any sense. Why was the whole town isolated?and deserted? They didn’t explain who Donna was and what was her deal. The entire scene in the bathroom served no purpose, it was a waste of film, with poor editing throughout the film. The ending was the most confusing, like how supposedly did she get away? What did she do after hitchhiking? They didn’t say if that reporter ever made it to Vegas to meet her there and if she didn’t where was she what happened to her? Did the driver, bloodshifter, or Donna get the reporter? The blood shifter didn’t come out in the daytime and it was daylight when the reporter got off the phone with Carrie. Movies like this I hate! It’s like if you can’t write a story to be somewhat taken seriously, by not leaving unexplained confusing script, dialogs, characters, and/or scenarios… Then DONT make it all! All you’re doing is wasting peoples time! It had potential, if details were presented in storyline and a better delivery of suspense in the ending.
I totally agree with your comments Christina. Why make such crap movies….I just wasted time watching this shit
I agree with the other comments. It was a interesting story, a creature thing I never heard of, it had it all. The end left you scratching your head. What was the purpose of the journalist? Could have been so much better.
Can someone please explain to me what just happened to the screaming security guard and how come the movie ended where it’s started.the sister is alive.i don’t understand it.what dud I just watch?🤔🤔
Real waste of my time. Even with Covid lockdown I can find something more interesting to do.