Stag Night (2010)

After getting stranded in a subway tunnel late one night, a group of friends find themselves in the clutches of a cannibalistic group of dwellers living in the area and must find a way to get out of the situation before they become food for the beings.On the whole this was a total disappointment since it has a lot going for it. One of the best parts here is the fact that the film crams a lot of action into here which really makes this one a lot of fun, with a creepy location and a realistic scenario coming into play for a lot of times here. The early set-up for getting stuck here in the tunnel is quite plausible but gets this settled on the action early on as they race through the darkened tunnel with the howling, yelling group right on their heels, the encounter with the others at the abandoned station is insanely suspenseful utilized the darkness and the decrepit set-up quite well while also managing to get some good gore gags in here while setting up the later attacks nicely, and the series of extended, extra- long foot-chases through the remaining tunnels here makes for a fun time. As well, the several confrontations in their lair are great fun here with the howling dogs, the demented behavior of the cannibals as well as bringing in some really suspenseful scenes as they try to remain undetected to escape while the second one there is a frantic, brutal series of brawls that get the frenzied action quite well. This one also manages to really work nicely here in the darkened tunnels and the different cannibals which are quite creepy-looking and imposing, creating an all-around chilling looking when combined with the rather nice blood-letting here makes up this one's positives which is a shame since this one really should've been a lot of fun but instead is a huge missed opportunity. This one is really damaged by the film's incessant and unyielding love affair with a shaking camera that goes on during each of the big action sequences, rendering them to a mostly incomprehensible blur and making it impossible to tell what's going on. Since it's so dark in the area to begin with, this makes its biggest scenes a rather indistinguishable mess that cuts off the selling point of the film and the moment you want it to happen the most and really hurting this one overall. Combined with its rather offbeat pace where it tends to drag when it's dealing with a totally uninteresting cast yet race by when dealing with the confrontations as well as far too much fake sentiment that doesn't do anything, these flaws are enough to hold it down when it didn't need them.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Brief Nudity and mild sexual content.

Think "Wrong Turn" set in subterranean Manhattan."Stag Night" follows a group of friends on a subway home from a bachelor party in NYC. After exiting their train too early at an abandoned station, the group along with two female strippers from the party look for a means of exit. Unfortunately for them, they've walked off the train and straight into the stomping grounds of a clan of subterranean cannibals. It's gonna be a long night."Stag Night" works with the cannibal killer formula that's been done for the past three decades, but, like the 1972 film "Raw Meat" (also known as "Death Line" in the UK), this one is set in abandoned subway tunnels. We saw a similar scenario in the 2004 flick "Creep" with Franka Potente, where she struggles to survive against a mad cannibal in London's subways. There's something eerie about being underground in the first place because it adds an increased sense of helplessness; you've literally got the weight of the earth against you, and means of escape are few and far between. Even creepier is the fact that these abandoned subway tunnels and platforms do actually exist far beneath the streets of New York and London, and the notion that people could be inhabiting these dark, old places is one that is extremely eerie.This film makes ample use of its setting, which is ultimately the hook, line and sinker for this one. Transplant this story to the woods, and you've got "Wrong Turn". Transplant it to a nuclear California desert, and you've got "The Hills Have Eyes". It's familiar, yes, but who said familiar cannot be fun? This is an extremely violent film, so modern gorehounds will get their money's worth here. For those who prefer slowburn suspense, this one may be a pass. I like both ends of the spectrum, and this one delivers on action. I've read some complaints about the cinematography in the film and the shaky camera-work, which are understandable complaints, but I will say that it does give the film a visceral texture. I could, however, have down without the corny slow-motion shots during scenes of high drama though.The production quality is actually really great, and the subterranean atmosphere is well-used. The villains in the film are also surprisingly scary looking, and, where films like the aforementioned "Raw Meat" gave a humanity to the villains, this film rather presents them as outright murderous animals. Acting-wise, there's a solid cast here that make up the core characters. Kip Pardue and Breckin Meyer are both pleasures to watch, and Vinessa Shaw (you may recognize her from "The Hills Have Eyes" remake or Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut"— or, if you're a '90s kid, Disney's "Hocus Pocus") plays a sassy Columbia student by day and stripper by night. There is some particularly funny dialogue between her and Meyer, that is, until things get serious.I felt the ending of the film was abrupt and the last-second surprise was a "c'mon" moment for me, but I can forgive it since I was glued to the screen for the 80 minutes prior. Standout scene: the group's first sighting of the killers as they dismember a security guard, and the train track beheading.Overall, "Stag Night" is all in good fun. It's not high art, but I tuned into it right at the beginning around 1am, and I was taken by it enough that I finished it to the end. Genre fans will likely enjoy it, while most others will not. As far as indie horror goes, this one is fairly high up there. 6/10.

I never intended to watch Stag night – not this one anyway. I read on IMDb about a British film that was more or less a wannabe Shaun of the Dead entitled 'Stag Night of the Dead'. It was supposed to be reasonably amusing and with the action transpiring on a Stag Night you can't help but guess that a certain number of strippers might've been involved… I wasn't actively hunting SNotD but as things tend to do the title lodged itself in my subconscious. A few weeks later at the video shop I spy the cover for Stag Night and my mind does a quick double-take; was that supposed to be good and if so why?, as it was on the weekly shelf I threw caution to the wind and slapped down the $1 required to borrow Stag Night for an entire 7 day period.Stag Night has no 'of the dead', no laughs and only a brief moment of nudity… But it isn't terrible.Here's why; Predictably enough the movie is set during a Stag Night. Not a glamorous or large scale affair, just four guys having some beers in the city. When we meet the four guys they are being kicked out of a strip club and discussing whether to call it a night or kick on.Kicking on wins.Shortly after they are aboard the subway heading to the next destination with two of the strippers from the club who are done for the night. After some obnoxiousness from one of the quartet leads to mace being released, a door is forced open (somehow) and all 6 exit the train in a dark section of subway tunnel at 4 AM.Let's fast forward only a few minutes: SUBWAY TUNNEL CANNIBALS!!! Yep it's that kinda film. The ensuing hour has the usual chaos, stupid decisions and unlikely events as the 6 mostly unlikable anti-heroes stumble about in the dark.There is liberal use of F-Bombs even well before the Rob Zombie looking cannibals show up to slice and dice. The film has one good kill scene that is more entertaining than it is inexplicable – and it is quite inexplicable – and an hour of running from bad guys in a film most aptly described as Mimic Vs Wrong Turn.I didn't hate Stag Night. It's just too reminiscent of so many other better movies to stand out from the pack. I like the fact that they played it straight and never winked to camera or made things too unbelievable… what am I saying? SUBWAY TUNNEL CANNIBALS!!! I'd like that last remark stricken from the record.Final Rating – 5.5 / 10. If you want lotsa gore and minimal thought all wrapped up in a familiar package Stag Night isn't bad, how good Stag Night of the Dead is remains to be seen.One last thing: How many movies feature monsters/killers or creatures that have apparently been prying their deadly trade for some time without anyone ever realising. Fine I can believe that they have a 100% kill rate once they target their prey, as unrealistic as that is. But no-one ever seems to ask about the missing or looks too hard into things.And when cops do they are invariably killed… but who looks for them? (I know, I know. Just a movie.)

After a failed pick-up attempt on a subway train lands four guys and two girls in an abandoned stop at four in the morning they realize they have bigger problems then trying to find a way out. There really is not much to say about this one. Not much to this movie but finding people and killing and dismembering them. VERY Gory!!! For a "Ghosthouse" horror movie it actually is not too bad though. The best way to describe it would be if the creatures from "I am legend" and "The Descent" lived in the New York subways. If you are into gore and a decent story this would be a good pick up. I give it a C.Would I watch again? - I don't think so.