Jackals

Recycled from practically every other horror film in the horror universe, "Jackals" will still manage to keep a viewer on the edge of their seat. Shout Factory's latest horror release, under the Scream Factory imprint, was originally written back in 2006 and sees the light of day finally in a Blu-ray format.

You'll see me use the word "cult" many times in this review, and that's the word spewed from the mouths of many of the characters over and over in "Jackals." That's because the plot involves a murderous cult that's brainwashed a young man Justin (Ben Sullivan). It's unclear just what the cult members have done to Justin. His family kidnaps the young man and Justin looks disheveled and spouts forth obscenities and devilish sayings to his parents, brother, and former girlfriend.

Justin's family, who include actors semi-famous in the 1990s (Deborah Unger, Jonathan Scaech), become holed up in a cabin in the woods and end up imprisoned by the cult. When a cult de-programmer (Stephen Dourff) arrives on the scene to rid Justin of his demons, "Jackals" becomes a "family under siege" genre film combined with a slasher movie. This is especially true in the opening point-of-view sequence, which rips off John Carpenter's "Halloween."

Side note: Is "cult de-programmer" really a profession?

Even though it may not sound like it, I did enjoy "Jackals" tremendously, and the fact that it takes place in 1983 only works in its favor (the film mimics all of the familiar 1980s horror tropes). Thankfully, "Jackals" the film is enjoyable -- but the bonus features on the Blu-ray are a tad underwhelming. We're treated to an audio commentary, some brief interviews with cast and crew, and the theatrical trailer.

About the only thing missing in "Jackals" is a song by the alternative rock group The Cult on the soundtrack.

"Jackals"
Blu-ray
$22.97
www.shoutfactory.com