Lex (Bianca Haase), a writer obsessed by paranormal activity, is taken by
her three friends (Brock O'Hurn, Michael Vlamis and Michelle Randolph), as
a birthday treat, to a deserted Hawaiian island where the only hotel has
been abandoned by the locals due to it being allegedly haunted by a ghost
known as The Half-Faced Girl.
Taken by helicopter to the island where on arrival the pilot warns them to
stick to the paths, be back at the rendezvous point by a certain time and
most importantly don’t get lost as, unsurprisingly if you are a follower of
horror movies, the island has no mobile phone coverage.
Needless to say the quartet take none of his advice on-board leading them
inevitably to having strange eerie encounters within the long abandoned
hotel.
Written and directed by Taylor Chien, whose previous work has mostly been
limited to TV, The Resort takes what feels like an eternity to get going.
With a running time of only 75 minutes Chein lets his story get bogged down
in so much preamble that the inevitable conclusion feels rushed and largely
unsatisfying.
The Resort is B horror in every way, its limited budget being made all the
more obvious by some pretty ropy special effects towards the end. However
its short running time and enthusiastic cast just about ensures that The
Resort doesn’t outstay its welcome.
