Director: Isaac Gabaeff.
Cast: Mitchel Musso, Dean Geyer, Nikki Leigh, Brooke Butler, Meagan Holder.
The Sand
The Sand begins as many other teen horrors do- you're dropped into the middle of a party- filled with a bunch of very attractive college kids with copious amounts of booze and attitude. A predicable, yet winning formula to get to know and relate to the characters (if you've been to college and enjoy the occasional alcohol fuelled evening).
The opening scenes are intriguing- between the typical sights of twenty somethings drinking, flirting, kissing and laughing are shots of the deserted beach, so immediately you want to know how everything is going to fall apart for this group. When a couple of the guys bring what looks like a giant brain into the middle of all the commotion- people start to get suspicious.
Then it cuts to several members of the party the next day- none of whom are on the sand but in a car, in a beach hut, a trash can or another surface.
Although it's quiet, that's to be expected on Spring Break as most people have left for their vacation time. Things are a bit hazy but seem pretty normal for a morning after the night before. That is- until one of the girls tries to make her way over to the rest of the group but the sand attacks her.
Although the concept is good- the idea has the potential to be a modern day version of Tremors- sadly the acting and the script lets it down massively. The actors are easy on the eye but unfortunately you're not as invested in what they're saying to each other as you are in admiring their beach ready bods.
The special effects aren't great either- the beginning scenes were more effective than that latter ones as the threat in the sand only appears as fine, hair like tentacles at first- which admittedly- grabs your attention. But as the film progresses and you get to see more of the creature, the effects are disappointing. The larger the enemy gets- the poorer the on screen quality. With that said- this is the fault of many horror films- the less is more approach works best.
The thing that frustrated me most about this film was the inconsistency in the sand's powers. It was able to puncture tires and penetrate metal cans, however one of the actresses covers her feet in a towel and a bag and manages to run across the ground unscathed.
I do like it when horror movies leave you hanging and even though this one has scope for a second film- I have no desire to watch another offering. This one was more than enough.
If you're a horror fan- it's one to tick off the list- but probably not one you'll want to put in your collection.