Rent The Retreat (2021)

Enjoyable if unremarkable - The Retreat review by NP

Directed by Pat Mills (not the mighty comics writer!) and written by Alyson Richards, this is a fairly straightforward horror/slasher production. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – you’ll have seen the kind of thing before, but at least this is pacey, well made and beautifully acted.

What marks this out as different, is that the protagonists are targeted because of their sexuality. Valeria (Sarah Allen) and Renee (Tommie-Amber Pirie) are a couple, as are Connor (Chad Connell) and Scottie (Munro Chambers) who run the gay B&B where the mayhem begins. I found the characters sympathetic and likeable, whereas the hillbillies (who might well be classed as a victimised minority – when do they get positive imagery in a film of this type?) are brutal, sadistic cowards.

My only problem was in some brief, badly lit scenes in the mid-section of the film, it was impossible to see what was going on. The incidental score, by Steph Copeland, to balance things out a bit, is excellent, and available to buy (although curiously – and disappointingly – the vocal tracks that bookend the film aren’t included). My score is 7 out of 10.