A typical 2000s ‘teenage’ horror, in which a local tradition for high school graduates is to sneak into the abandoned Royal Crescent Hotel, the scene of the murder of a group of students in 1983. I was excited to see that the ‘Royal Crescent Hotel’ is the same hotel used as the Bodega Bay Inn from the Puppet Master film series, though it seemed to have only been used for exterior establishing shots.
Of course, once inside, the group find themselves trapped, facing off against a supernatural threat – represented by a kaleidoscopic beam of light that chases them through the maze-like interior of the hotel. The interior scenery is the real star of the film, though sadly spends much of the time washed in a sepia-toned tint, presumably to contrast with the brightness of the light cast by the film’s villain.
Interestingly, Udo Kier features, who later appeared as Andre Tulon in one of the Puppet Master sequels, The Littlest Reich, which made me wonder if this was a Full Moon Features production, but it doesn’t seem to be. Although it isn’t a movie that is likely to be remembered as a classic, it has enough nostalgia of the era to at least hold interest for 90 minutes.
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