Review: The Toll Movie Rings But Do The Dead Pay?

Mother of Movies thoroughly enjoyed Michael Nader’s previous film, Head Count. With three feature films already under his belt, Nader’s latest creation, The Toll, is a low-budget thriller that sits somewhere between the intensity of Southbound before adding the concept of an ancient curse being lifted after a heavy price is paid. Personally, I am drawn to supernatural themes or demonic possessions and time loops within the narrative.

“The Toll” follows Cami who embarks on a journey to her father’s house, nestled in a remote and secluded area, a long cab ride away from the airport. Spencer, who claims to be socially awkward, engages Cami in conversation until she drifts off to sleep in the backseat. Despite expressing a fear of potential harm, Cami surprisingly nods off in a stranger’s car. As she awakens, she realizes that her driver has veered off course. He shows her his malfunctioning navigation device, leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere. Seemingly trapped in a never-ending loop, the road they travel on only leads them back to their starting point. As their predicament intensifies, strange occurrences begin to unfold.

The central storyline of The Toll revolves around the characters avoiding being seen by the chilling Toll Man himself. Surprisingly, their most significant solution involves simply taping up the windows of the car. While this may seem underwhelming, it is and unfortunately plays into the underwhelming nature of the title as a whole.

Have You Been Touched By Death?

The Toll Man targets the unsuspecting souls that are often marked by death. Once The Man who requires payments for perceived sins zeros in, anyone might be stuck in the world he creates using deception. In an example early in the movie, writing appears on their car, noises are heard and growing suspicion begins to raise its weird head. When a motorist stops, the two think their luck has changed. But the old lady has a story to tell and one part of it is that the only reason she can see them is that she has met The Toll Man before.

Blaming The Victim in The Toll

In what I believe is a little unsavory, we are taken through every skeleton in Cami’s closet. Her ordeal with her rapist as she talks to a dream image in the menacing-spirits Freddy Kruger-like land. Cami is fed victim-blaming lines that were said to her after her ordeal. She gets to see her mom again, as does Spencer, and they both reminisce about their pasts in ways that are supposed to edge them towards killing themselves or, killing the other. Small amounts of trickery are played out by The Toll Man but nothing overly tenuous.

The performances in The Toll are particularly notable, with Jordan Hayes convincingly portraying the character of Cami, and Max Topplin delivering a strong performance as Spencer. However, it’s disheartening when exceptional casting is overshadowed by lackluster scripting. Unfortunately, the conversations between Cami and Spencer were the aspects that left me wanting more.

The cinematography is solid, especially given that the whole film is set in low light. Often illuminated by electronic devices inside the car and the headlamps remaining on. The Toll has its share of great shots down the endless lane surrounded by trees and nothingness.

The Toll Man was not what I expected and less than I hoped for, but those keen on horror tropes and lazy evenings with a sort of menacing spirit might like this more than I did.

I give The Toll

3 Carrying a bow and arrow around just made it funny out of 5

• The Toll was written and directed by Michael Nader
• Produced by 4 AM Films and Always Hungry Productions / Distributed by Saban Films
• The Toll was acquired by Mother of Movies as a screener for review purposes.
• Decider’s review for The Toll, should you stream it or skip it? Film review

The Toll Movie, Will You Be Watching It?