Grave Encounters (2011)

The climax of The Resort (2021) does everything right. The scene uses a well-executed blend of CGI and practical effects and features two gruesome, memorable deaths. While many low budget horror films use quick cuts and evasive editing to distract viewers from poor effects, here, the camera lingers confidently on the horrific imagery. Every element of the climax works. The editing is disorienting. The suspense is tangible. Even the color palette is vivid with intense reds and blues. As a stand-alone short film, this scene could win prizes.

Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is a disappointing bunch of missed opportunities.

Despite taking inspiration from a genuinely frightening source—urban exploration—outside of its clever climax, The Resort misses nearly every opportunity to be scary. This is too bad since the exploration of abandoned sites serves as the basis of so much excellent horror: movies like Grave Encounters, web series like Marble Hornets, short stories like Abandoned by Disney, and even real-world stories of people breaking into (or more legally) walking around in abandoned areas.

Although some setup is understandable, The Resort spends nearly half its runtime on getting to the titular resort. The cast first lands on the other side of the Hawaiian island, and instead of showing us frights, the camera focuses on the crystal-clear ocean, a cascading waterfall, and the slender bodies of the cast. These moments feel like tourism commercials and fail to build mood or atmosphere.