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Cast: London May (The Dark Knight Rises, Verotika), Mya Hudson (A Wall Away, upcoming F*ck, Kill Mary), Hannah Pierce (Flock of Dudes, The Hunted), Henry Mortensen (Crimson Tide)

Director: Erik Boccio

Genre: Horror

Rating: NR

Disgruntled hermit Reed lives a solitary life in the desert. After chasing away a group of youths trying to party near his home, Reed’s peaceful life is violently upheaved when a goup of savage cultists lay siege to his house. 

Forced to partner up with one of the party-goers, Reed and his newfound colleague must defend themselves into the night, all while long-buried and disturbing secrets are revealed to him as part of the cult’s evil plan. 

As the film opens it is 1979 and we are introduced to Andy and his girlfriend, Lily. They are heading to the desert to visit Adam's buddy but when they arrive they are greeted by a cult who wants to use Lily as a sacrifice because having a baby. After the opening scene we are sent 40 years later and we meet Reed, a man living alone in the desert, a trio of party goers and again a cult hanging around the desert waiting for their next victims.

When Reed finds the trio partying on his land he gets them off and while looking for a new place the run into the cult and trouble ensues. The two men are killed and Kiera is stabbed but manages to get away and ends up at the front door of Reed's house. He doesn't want nothing to do with her until he sees that she is hurt. He plans on taking her to the nearest clinic for help but before they can leave the cult shows up to finish Kiera off. Armed with a shotgun and limited ammunition The two hope to hold up until the cult leaves in the morning but getting out alive is going to be a very hard task.

'Night of the Bastard' is a low budget throw back to the 70's exploitation films which features a Manson like cult. The film is a mixed bag as far as quality goes. For starters the acting is a bit weak at times and you can tell the filmmakers did not have a lot of money to spend on special effects so they were smart to keep the effects limited but give Writer/Director, Erik Boccio credit for making an entertaining film with what he had to work with.

The film has a good pace to it so there is no time to be bored and the effects that are used towards the end are very well done. There is also a nice twist towards the end which helps in closing out the film in a good way. If you like films that involves cults that are looking for the ultimate sacrifice then I recommend checking out this enjoyable, twisted horror film with a nasty streak when it hits Select Theaters, VOD and Digital Platforms January 13, 2023.

Released by Dark Sky Films

*** 3/4 out of *****