Whether or not you connect with Chris Grega’s new film, Red Night at Skye’s, will have a lot to do with where you stand on farcical nonsense. If the promise of zombie meth cannibals led by a mad scientist piques your curiosity, then you’re probably the target audience for this outlandish offering. I had a reasonably good time with the flick, though I wanted better acting and a tighter script. However, neither is bad enough to render the film unwatchable for anyone with a soft spot for a zany, outrageous, brutal romp.
Red Night at Skye’s sees married couple Cole and Carrie (Brock Roberts and Julie Layton) trying to come to terms with Carrie’s imminent death from a terminal illness. With two young children still at home, medical bills piling up, and eviction on the horizon, Cole makes the bold decision to take part in a daring heist with dire consequences. Spoiler alert: The dire consequences involve meth-addled zombie cannibals led by a white supremacist mad scientist with an axe to grind.
Red Night at Skye’s is flawed but still shows plenty of promise.
Pieces of this film work quite well, and others read a little amateur. It’s a mixed bag that gets more right than wrong. It helps that writer/director Grega seems to find his footing over time. Once the action ramps up, the flick becomes more immersive, and it’s easier to set aside what doesn’t quite work. We also get to see a bit more of Grega’s prowess as a filmmaker when the proverbial excrement hits the fan.
Though the film has its share of flaws when it comes to the screenplay and performances, I came away curious to see what Grega does next. He imbues this picture with a gritty visual aesthetic that gives Red Night at Skye’s the kind of neo-exploitation flare I can’t resist. That vibe fits well with the outrageous subject matter, and given that I’m a huge exploitation enthusiast, it resonated with me.
As for what didn’t resonate, I have to admit that some of the writing is rather basic. It’s as if Grega is setting the key narrative elements up to get straight to the action. I appreciate the urgency, but he shows little to no regard for developing his characters. That’s a missed opportunity for sure.
Redundancy and the absence of nuance take a toll.
When I saw a harried Cole looking over a stack of past-due bills before having a bedside conversation with his near-death wife, I was bummed by the lack of nuance in the writing and the generic presentation. Past-due bill montages are tropey. Worse yet, the inclusion of one here is completely unnecessary. Cole tells a friend about his family’s financial woes in the very next scene, and then his dad (Bill Moseley) brings it up again in the scene that follows.
This is a somewhat predictable spin on the formula where a good person does a bad thing for the right reasons and then encounters an unpleasant surprise. Don’t Breathe is a better execution of said formula, but Red Night at Skye’s may appeal to fans of the aforementioned horror thriller. Just keep an open mind and don’t expect too much.
All things considered, I had an OK time with Red Night at Skye’s. It’s not a perfect film. The presentation is rough around the edges, and some of the acting is challenging, with the script lacking nuance and polish. However, I think Grega has potential, and I look forward to seeing his next endeavor. If you are curious to experience Red Night at Skye’s for yourself, the film is out now on VOD.
Summary
While it doesn’t get everything right, ‘Red Night at Skye’s’ is still an amusing distraction.
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