Directed by: David Brooks
Starring: Alice Eve, Josh Peck, Brian Geraghty, Ashvin Singh
Distributed by: IFC Midnight
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 90 minutes
Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars
Who knew that a film focusing around being stalked in an ATM booth would work as a premise for a film. Well it does…more the most part. This film is a billed a horror yet falls more in the line of thriller. If you are aware of the film “Buried”, starring Ryan Reynolds, where he spends the whole film in a coffin, well this film is written by the same guy Chris Sparling. Well either way, the idea works and definitely creates some great suspense for the first 40 minutes or so. As the film goes on though, it seems like to loose its draw and doesn’t really pack a strong pay-off at the end.
The premise for this film is extremely simple. It follows three co-workers who stop at an ATM on the way home from an office party. The three co-workers soon find that they are unable to leave this ATM booth since they are being stalked by a crazy man in a hoodie. They end up fighting for their lives and search desperately for a way to escape this booth before it is too late.
“ATM” is the directorial debut from David Brooks and definitely shows potential for him. Going back to “Buried” for a minute, this film packs a lot less terror than being buried alive. This is what the film lacks…the terror. The performances from Josh Peck, Alice Eve And Brian Geraghty are decent though and since the film is just them, they definitely carry the film well. I wish there was more back story revealed throughout the film, I think it could have given the characters more depth. Overall it is worth checking out if you are a horror fan. Kudos to IFC Midnight for giving this film a theatrical release.