Four teenagers are on their way to a wedding when their car is hit by a flying rat and they crash. Abandoning their car, they arrive at a seemingly deserted farm. Unable to raise any sign of life the group split up. Elliot (Will Horneff) and Trevor (Karl Jacob) go in search of help leaving Elliot’s sister (Vanessa Horneff) and moody mate Brian (Sean Reid) to wait at the farm – where it’s safe. Brian decides to go and investigate the barn…
This huge and impressive arena is the perfect backdrop for the ensuing battle between our four friends, a passing patrolman and the barn’s current inhabitants – a lot of very thirsty bats.
Ti West’s debut feature is a well-realised and affectionate B-Movie homage. The main story is encapsulated within a late night creature feature TV show hosted by Tom Noonan (Manhunter) which lets us know we are in for a fright feast. West and his team know the genre inside out and treat their film with a lot of love. At once observing and eschewing the conventions of horror storytelling, West masterfully times the shocks and gore to not let predictability creep in. The Roost is a huge amount of fun by a talent to watch out for. CT
