Autumn Road Indie B-Movies With Haunted Houses

Autumn Road tries as hard as it can to connect with the audience it sets out to capture. Opening at a family-run haunted house in the middle of a small town. Its first error of judgment is in the scripting which fails to give a ring of realism to an already underdeveloped cast. Consisting of mostly younger actors and actresses, Autumn Road showcases a burgeoning friendship between two younger tweens.

After trick or treating, they sit inside a hearse while eager Halloween enthusiasts are treated to the two of them provisioning scares on anyone who gets too close to the blacked-out windows. Winnie and Charlie share an innocent kiss. Unfortunately for Winnie, he had just eaten the candy she collected that “makes her sick” and goes into anaphylaxis.

This tense and unlucky moment becomes even weirder as Charlie begs her to “stay with him” as she gasps for air. Not the type of dialogue I would expect to come from characters of this age group. He leaves the hearse to get his twin brother and as he begs him for help Vincent tells him not to tell anyone. Neither go for help and instead Vincent says creepily that he will “take care of it.”

In analyzing the dual roles depicted by the same actor, we see a deliberate contrast shaped between the two twins—one embodies the quintessential “bad twin” persona, while his counterpart is a misunderstood introvert. Riley Cusick assumes these complex identities with a clear vision, aiming for a Jekyll versus Hyde dynamic however performances for both parts were not strong.

Indie Haunted House Movies

Autumn Road is slow. However much it wants to be the provider of life’s reflection there just isn’t enough energy within events that occur on-screen or in the heady dialogue. The story skips forward ten years and returns to show that Charlie and Vincent now run the haunted house. Vincent, the not-so-good twin is known for “killing animals” and anyone who talks to him mentions it.

With the time-lapse comes the return of Winnie’s sister. But not before we get a glimpse into her life, her best friend and their dreams of making a movie are in full swing. As they stroll happily down the street, her best friend steps in front of a car and dies. Normally I wouldn’t spoil such a dramatic moment. However, somehow this manages to be both anti-climatic and one-dimensional.

Laura goes into town and runs into one-half of the twin brothers. They reminisce as Laura mentions frequently she is “not good company right now.” I guess when your best friend dies in front of you, you can chalk the day up to be kinda crappy. Some more reflection ensues and both twins put their best creepy versus stable behavior forward.

In addition to Laura’s journey to revisit the town her sister Winnie vanished in, she also hasn’t seen her mother in some time. When they finally get together, they talk about Laura’s bad luck. You know… because the person she was closest to just got hit by a Ute. Laura finally breaks down and wipes a dry spot on her face instead of tears. It’s at this moment, I realize watching Autumn Road might have been a mistake.

“Life can be cruel sometimes.”

Quote from the horror movie Autumn Road

He Only Killed One “Bird”

Autumn Road is a confused and muddled mess of ideas. It even manages to squeeze in an American History X head stomp scene. One is brutally impacted by the diner attendant coming out too late, producing a gun, and yelling “Leave him alone” as he lies dead on the ground. But wait, he’s not dead.

Ideas presented in the Autumn Road movie are not particularly cohesive and while relying on performances to hold it up just can’t manage to be the movie it wants to be. The film feels like a coming-of-age movie but was simply not interesting enough to recommend.

I give Autumn Road

2 You can’t save a movie by putting a head stomp scene in it out of 5

Available Digital HD and Cable VOD on November 23rd, Autumn Road is screening across North America from Gravitas Ventures.

Written and directed by Riley Cusick (previously starring in Satanic Panic.)

Starring: Lorelei Linklater (Boyhood, Bomb City), Justin Meeks (Kill Or Be Killed, Butcher Boys), and Lar Park Lincoln (Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood).

Preorder link for Autumn Road.

Autumn Road Trailer from Gravitas Ventures