Written by: Ryan Dailey
Go Away, another Dave Kerr/Slasher 15 offering to the horror nation, could easily be dismissed as a knock off of You’re Next and The Strangers. That would be a fair assumption from the trailer and the press releases. Much like the Bloody Summer Camp films, Go Away manages to play with horror film tropes in a way that manages to keep the viewer engaged. In the interest of providing a spoiler-free review, only the vaguest of synopsis will be used. I would, however, be remiss if I did not throw this out there. Did anyone else get Chandler and Janice flashbacks from Friends when Felissa Rose meets Matthew Sharpe’s character? Just me? O.K. Moving on.
Go Away weaves in the drama of an estranged family meeting for dinner. They hope to “bury the hatchet,” but instead of the metaphorical one, soon a quite literal one is buried instead. The dysfunctional gathering is hijacked by the home invaders as the family tension begins to peak.
The film then turns into a game of Dead by Daylight, as what is essentially The Legion from that game engage our group of survivors in a deadly game of hide and seek, with a major plot twist.
Much like the other Kerr films I have seen, Go Away is very solid. The exposition can be a bit much, at times making the film seem as though it is trying to juggle too many things at once. This is something that can work and maybe if it was viewed on a commercial free platform, it would not be as noticeable. For example, the breaking up subplot between Liz (Christine Oswald) and Mark/Chandler Bing (Matthew Sharpe)feels wholly unnecessary and the method of the breakup makes zero sense.Why would one bring their boyfriend miles and miles from home to a dinner with a family you haven’t spoken to in years to break up with them? Would you not be trapped in a house with your off-kilter family as well as your disgruntled boyfriend, that you claim you live in fear of due to his tremper? That is one of the few complaints about this film, as it is with most independent films. Most independent films would benefit from a longer production schedule and more than one writer, so there is someone to say, “Hey, that doesn’t work, let’s try something else.” Having that sound board not only improves dialog and can help with plot development, but help make a good film great.
Overall, Go Away nets a 5.9 out of 10, boasting some great practical FX and a few bits of quotable dialog here and there. Go Away is currently streaming for free on Tubi.