Review: Escapee

Escapee is one of those flicks we pimped here in The Basement and immediately lost track of. Not because of a lack of interest on our part, but because it's one of those hundreds of movies that disappeared into the cinematic ether every year. You know, the kind of movie we hunt down and pass judgment on. So was Escapee worth the effort to find it? Stick with me!

Abby (Christine Evangelista) becomes the target of a mentally disturbed man (Dominic Purcell) after he sees her at a mental hospital.

To be clear, the mentally disturbed man is actually a patient at a mental hospital and Abby is part of a university tour. He breaks out and goes after her. Standard slasher-movie fare right there.

And that's exactly what Escapee is -- standard slasher-movie fare. In fact, there is little to distinguish it from any other like-minded movie in the genre.

Working in Escapee's favour is Dominic Purcell, who starred in the TV series Prison Break and Basement fave The Gravedancers. He's not the usual guy you'd expect to see playing a slasher killer, and he's decent enough in a role that requires very little of him other than physical presence, which he's got.

There's also Christine Evangelista, who's smoking hot. She's joined by Carly Chaikin and Melissa Ordway, who are also smoking hot. Writer/director Campion Murphy knows a horror movie isn't a horror movie without hot chicks, and he doesn't disappoint.

Everything else about Escapee is, as I've said, standard. Murphy goes the slow burn, John Carpenter route, but he's not John Carpenter. The kills are uninspired and there's a third act plot twist that doesn't matter. Snore.

Yeah, Escapee rates a Bad. See it if you're a slasher completist. If you're not, don't bother.