I didn’t think much when I put on Last Shift. In reality, I wasn’t planning on paying attention. I was getting some other work done, and I realized that the movie I wanted to watch was subtitled. So when I saw the thumbnail that looked like a corny exorcism movie, I just thought it would make some great background noise.
But I got something so much better: an independent horror flick that defies its low budget to create an engrossing psychological experience. I’m not the first person to say this. This film premiered at London Frightfest in 2014 to similar praise.
The movie follows rookie police officer Jessica Loren as she stays the night in a soon to be abandoned police station. A whole bunch of spooky stuff happens, a homeless man materializes in the lobby and pisses everywhere, and all hell breaks loose as an elaborate Charles Mason-esque backstory builds itself in front of your eyes.
Last Shift doesn’t reinvent the haunting genre. It falls into many of the predictable tropes with slamming doors, flickering lights, and mysterious phone calls. What it does do is take a somewhat tired genre and throw out the over-reliance on jump scares and gore. The tension alone in this movie is frightening. I won’t pretend I’m not an easily scared person, but there was an uneasiness I don’t usually get from a home-viewing of a low-budget horror flick.
The use of budget in this movie could warrant an article of its own. A haunted house movie in a canonically abandoned building is a great set up to save some cash, but with the contrast of sterile bright scenes and chaotic, Halloween maze darks, you would never notice that the was a low-budget film unless you were looking. The lack of set design and special effects seems so natural you don't question it.
There’s also a lot I could say about the screenwriting. Without spoiling anything, this is a script you can’t predict. There are no M. Night Shyamalan twists, as everything clicks together pretty well, but the writer/director Anthony DiBlasi does a stellar job of leading you into a few comforting cliches before ripping them away.
Shudder has been pushing Last Shift on me for a few weeks now. If you, like me, were avoiding it because of the corny cover, I highly recommend you give it a chance. It’s not a game-changer, but it’s a great movie that you can probably watch for free. Milk the end of the season for all it’s worth.