ESCAPE THE FIELD

There aren't many more places imaginable that would be scarier to wake up in than a cornfield. The creaking of the corn that stands way taller than any man enough to put the fear into me, that one moment in Signs where Mel Gibson sees the leg of an alien amidst his crop ensuring I never set foot in one ever again. That's the setting for Escape the Field but does it make the most out of it is the burning question.

Stripped of their possessions, six strangers wake up in a remote, endless cornfield with six items - - a gun with a single bullet, matches, a lantern, a knife, a compass and a flask of water. As mysterious sirens blare in the distance and traps appear at every turn, they soon realise they're in a mysterious cat-and-mouse game with an unseen evil, and survival depends upon solving a diabolical and deadly puzzle.

In all honesty, Escape the Field starts off rather well, throwing the audience right into the mixer as Sam wakes up in a cornfield alone with just a gun for company. That is until she gradually starts to meet more people who each hold a different item. Cornfields are scary enough but when an air raid siren starts to sound at random they instantly get even more terrifying. With how the film evolves it becomes a cross between Predators and Saw that doesn't provide the entertainment you'd expect from an endorsement like that. 

Emerson Moore directs with plenty of potential however, the film's weak writing leaves it stumbling to an uninspired finish. Characters doing dumb things in situations like this is expected but as soon as they agree to split up it just feels like a cardinal sin. Then there's the characters themselves, so thinly written that it makes it incredibly hard to even root for any single one of them.

The performances are lacking as well to bring any dimension to these characters; Jordan Claire Robbins, Theo Rossi and Shane West all pretty much go through proceedings on autopilot which is a massive shame. I know films like this aren't all about the performances but when the film finds itself running out of steam from a narrative aspect early on, they can go a long way in making a film watchable at least. 

So, after a promising start, Escape the Field ends up being a rather forgettable thriller. It's got the perfect setting but it just doesn't make the most of it to make this a truly great piece of filmmaking.

Verdict: ★★