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Shortcut (2020): A Scrappy, Flawed Creature Feature That Stumbles in the Dark

Shortcut (2020), directed by Alessio Liguori, is an Italian-British horror flick that hit select U.S. theaters and drive-ins on September 25, 2020, via Gravitas Ventures, with a digital release following on December 22. Clocking in at a brisk 80 minutes, this low-budget monster movie pits five teenage friends against a mysterious creature after their school bus takes a fateful detour. Starring Jack Kane, Sophie Jane Oliver, Zak Sutcliffe, Molly Dew, and Zander Emlano, it blends adventure, fantasy, and horror with a retro 80s vibe. Shot in Italy with a modest budget, it’s a scrappy effort that leans on practical effects and a lean runtime but falters with a disjointed plot, thin characters, and missed opportunities for real terror. While it offers guilty-pleasure thrills for horror fans, Shortcut struggles to rise above its B-movie roots, leaving a mixed legacy of ambition and frustration. This review digs into every angle—story, craft, cast, and reception—to assess its worth.

Plot Summary: A Detour Into Chaos

Shortcut opens with a cryptic voiceover: “Every journey has its road, and every road, sooner or later, comes to a crossing.” Five British teens—Nolan (Jack Kane), Bess (Sophie Jane Oliver), Reggie (Zak Sutcliffe), Queenie (Molly Dew), and Karl (Zander Emlano)—ride a cherry-red school bus driven by Joseph (Terence Anderson) through a remote countryside, purpose unclear—field trip? School commute? A fallen tree blocks their path, so Joseph opts for a desolate shortcut. A dead deer halts them again, and as he clears it, an escaped convict, Pedro (David Keyes), hijacks the bus at gunpoint.

Night falls, and the bus breaks down in a tunnel. Pedro forces Joseph to investigate a strange shape outside, revealed as a bat-like creature—the Nocturne Wanderer—that rips him apart. Pedro, panicking, steps out to fight it and gets his head torn off. The teens, now alone, grab the keys and flee into a nearby military bunker, uncovering clues: journals and drawings of a failed attempt to kill the beast. The creature hunts them—grabbing Queenie, biting her neck—until Nolan and Bess flip the tunnel lights back on, its weakness exposed. Reggie’s nearly killed, but they fend it off with torches. In the end, they escape, bloodied but alive, with Nolan’s final narration—“No one believed our story”—capping a tale left open for more.

It’s a three-act arc: setup with a hijack twist, bunker survival, and a frantic finish. Simple, chaotic, unresolved.

Production: Low-Budget Hustle Meets Italian Flair

Made for an estimated $1-2 million (unconfirmed but inferred from its scale), Shortcut is a co-production by Minerva Pictures, Play Entertainment, and others, shot in Italy’s Abruzzo region. Liguori, fresh off In the Trap (2019), teams with writer Daniele Cosci to craft a lean creature feature. The rural Italian landscape—lush forests, dank tunnels—doubles as an English backwater, a clever cost-saving move. The bus, a bright red relic, pops against the green, a nod to 80s horror aesthetics.

Cinematographer Luca Santagostino uses saturated colors and tight framing—fogged windows, flickering lights—to build early tension. Practical effects dominate: the creature’s clawed hands and fanged maw, crafted by makeup artists, loom in shadows, saving cash on CGI. A few digital touches—like blood splatter—feel cheap but sparse. Benjamin Kwasi Burrell’s synth score, pulsing like a John Carpenter B-side, drives the mood, though it drowns dialogue at times.

Filming wrapped fast, likely 20-30 days, targeting a 2020 festival run (Giffoni Film Festival premiere) and a Covid-era release—drive-ins first, then VOD. Producers Simona Ferri and Marco Tempera banked on brevity and gore, not polish. It’s a DIY effort with heart, but budget constraints clip its wings—logic gaps and a rushed edit betray the hustle.

Performances: Young Cast Fights Through Thin Roles

Jack Kane leads as Nolan, the shy everyman with a crush on Bess. He’s earnest—retrieving keys, flipping switches—but lacks depth, his narration flat. Sophie Jane Oliver’s Bess, the artist with guts, shines in action—snagging keys under monster claws—but her romance with Nolan (“My mum painted landscapes”) fizzles, stiff dialogue to blame. Zak Sutcliffe’s Reggie, the rebel, struts with bravado—“You’re cute when you’re mad”—and takes a beating, his grit a highlight.

Molly Dew’s Queenie, the brainy one, gets bitten but fights back, her range from nerd to survivor notable for a newcomer. Zander Emlano’s Karl, the chubby joker, leans on fat-shaming gags—“I’m hungry”—a lazy trope that wastes his charm. Terence Anderson’s Joseph, the kindly driver, dies first, a clichéd Black-character casualty that stings. David Keyes’ Pedro is a wild-eyed plot device, gone quick.

The teens emote terror well—screaming, scrambling—but inconsistent reactions (flirting post-attack?) undercut realism. They’re game, not great, hampered by a script that prioritizes kills over character.

Themes: Youth, Choices, and Unseen Terrors

Shortcut toys with youth resilience—teens facing a monster adults can’t handle, a Goonies-lite spin. Choices echo in the detour: one wrong turn sparks doom, a metaphor left dangling. The creature’s mystery—light-sensitive, blood-drinking—hints at primal fear, but its origin (explorer’s failed hunt?) is a throwaway, not a theme.

Camaraderie flickers—Reggie guards Queenie, Nolan and Bess team up—but it’s shallow, a rushed “friendship conquers all” beat. Nostalgia seeps in—80s synths, teen archetypes—aping Stranger Things without the soul. It’s more vibe than substance, banking on scares over meaning.

Strengths: Brevity, Atmosphere, and DIY Spirit

The runtime—80 minutes—keeps it snappy, no fat to trim. Early atmosphere pops: the bus in fog, creature bangs on metal, a tunnel lit by headlights. The bunker chase—dark, dank, frantic—nails low-budget dread, like The Descent on a dime. Practical monster design—claws in shadow—sparks imagination, a smart cash-saver.

The cast’s energy and a few kills (Pedro’s head rip, Queenie’s neck bite) deliver cheap thrills. The DIY vibe—Italian woods, duct-tape ingenuity—charms, a throwback to 80s VHS rentals. It’s scrappy fun for late-night binges, not overthinking required.

Weaknesses: Plot Holes, Logic, and Lack of Fear

The plot’s a mess—why’s the bus out there? Where’s it going? Pedro’s hijack fizzles fast, a red herring with no payoff. The creature’s deal—origin, motive—is vague; a diary hints at history, but it’s fluff. Logic collapses: teens flirt post-massacre, no phones in 2020, a tunnel with candles aplenty?

Fear’s absent—the monster’s cool but not scary, kills too quick to linger. Pacing lurches: a slow start, a rushed end. Characters shift gears—panic to air-drumming—breaking tension. The “no one believed us” close feels tacked on, a sequel bait with no weight. It’s a shell of a story, coasting on vibes, not chills.

Reception: A Mixed Bag of Cheers and Jeers

Shortcut debuted at Giffoni 2020, earning modest buzz, then hit drive-ins amid Covid lockdowns—$1 million box office, per estimates, bolstered by VOD streams. Critics split: Roger Ebert (Simon Abrams) called it “amateurish” and “mindless,” Variety (Courtney Howard) saw a strong start lost to “lackluster” turns. HorrorFuel (Kelli Marchman) gave it 4/5 for gore and action, Common Sense Media (Jeffrey M. Anderson) dubbed it “guilty fun” with DIY spirit.

Rotten Tomatoes sits at 59% (5.2/10, 27 reviews): “refreshing brevity” vs. “too many shortcuts.” IMDb’s 4.1/10 reflects fan divide—“watchable, not thrilling” vs. “dumbest movie ever.” X buzzed with “Jeepers Creepers 2 rip-off” gripes and “monster’s cool” nods. It’s a cult contender—loved by some, loathed by many.

Cultural Impact: A Niche Footnote

Shortcut rides 2020s horror nostalgia—Stranger Things, It—but lacks their punch. Its teen-vs-monster hook echoes Attack the Block or The Faculty, minus the edge. The Italian-British mashup adds quirks, but streaming on Tubi and Prime caps its reach—no theatrical splash, just a quiet ripple. It’s a B-movie relic for genre buffs, not a trendsetter.

Final Verdict: A Rough Ride Worth a Peek

Shortcut is a scrappy stab at creature-feature fun—tight, bloody, and brimming with low-budget hustle. The tunnel dread, young cast’s pluck, and retro vibes charm, but a swiss-cheese plot, weak scares, and cliched tropes drag it down. It’s not Jeepers Creepers 2’s tension or The Goonies’ heart—just a quick, messy detour. Stream it for a mindless night, not a masterpiece.

Score: 6/10. A bumpy shortcut that’s fun but forgettable.