Survival Knife

I had never heard of this movie and I picked it up on a whim. It wasn't what I expected it would be, but I really enjoyed it. It had some great horror elements, especially the opening scene, but what I really enjoyed was the psychological thriller aspect. The story took a really interesting look at what the survivor of a slasher film might go through after the credits roll. I haven't seen any of the other "Last Girl" movies that have been released, but I would highly recommend this one to anyone interested in the slasher or thriller genres.

Review-There seems to be this new trend that is starting to rear its head. Last year, I saw a film called Last Girl Standing where we had the ending of a usual slasher film become the beginning of this film. Now, again we have the same idea in the film Survival Knife. Much like Last Girl, this film centers on victim Penny who turns the table on a serial killer. After all her friends and the love of her life are killed by the Survivalist, she finds a way to kill him and get away. This film focuses on how Penny’s life changes after these events. For a film like this to really work well, you need a portrayal that you can buy into, and Danielle Donahue really embraces this challenge. The biggest positive to casting her in my eyes is that she is fairly a name that most people are not familiar with, so they can buy into her more than someone they are used to in these roles. I love the notion of someone having dealt with something so horrific and the challenge of having to put it all behind them and find a normalcy to their everyday life. The film was smart in not wanting to completely change her and make the events that not only took her eye but given her some emotional scars that will never heal seem like we could all forget them. This film never really lets Penny find a normalcy to her, and seems to always drag her back into it thru flashbacks or actions that she encounters from others.This is a small little indie film, and if people can accept this going into it, I feel they will enjoy it for the most part. The film had a solid actress pulling off a very good slasher victim. She did everything that any of us would do if we were in her shoes which added to the believable nature that she had about her. The film while it did a good job on the victim, I felt the background characters that weaved their way into her life did not come across as effective. You have this pesky newscaster who is trying to break that big scoop on her named Alicia Hayes. Why not give her more to work with? The film I felt was the strongest in the first half hour. The part where we had to tell the story to follow up what we witnessed in the opening is when the film felt unsure of itself. Much like Last Girl Standing, this film also opens the door for the notion that a copycat is now doing killings. Last Girl had the notion to make us believe that the killer was still alive, and that added to our victim’s paranoia. This film loses sight of it, and just makes it feel like something minimal. This film would have been smart to make us feel like it was not really sure if the killer was dead, to create a paranoia and instill it in your actress.This film for all its positives and negatives, was a decent little watch. If you are a slasher fan and love the low budget, this film is a good little taste of something different. I felt the last act of the film showcased the heart of all involved and really wanted to give fans something to talk about.7 out of 10

I didn't know what to expect when I purchased this DVD. I have to say , after watching this Indie film ,I was pleasantly surprised..Its a well done low budget "slasher" genre film that showcases Pittsburgh locations. As I was watching ,I found myself wanting to know more about Penny and her life and where does she go from here? At the end,I really wanted to know where she got off of the bus when its stops.. I hope to see a sequel..In closing ,this movie may not be for everyone, but, if you are into this genre of small independently made slasher films, then this film is for you!.Nice job Robot Monkey Studios!

How do I put this diplomatically ?! This was the worst film I have seen in a long time.The plot had promise, A character study of the last girl standing from a killing spree in which she see's her financee and all her friends butchered. She then in turn kills the psycho with an Axe.The acting was sketchy. But besides the fact that it was basically torturous to sit through was the fact that there were NO gore effects!!! Just some blood smeared here and there.The survivor (Penny) got stabbed in the eye during the attack and they used a white contact as the aftermath effect.The film was supposed to show the anguish and PTSD someone like Penny might go through but it was so bad I couldn't take any of it seriously. And they did.No comic relief in sight.Maybe some of the dialogue ,but unintentionally.I'm being generous by giving it 2 stars.

If you enjoy low budget slasher/psychological films you should enjoy this movie. I certainly enjoyed it. I hope they make a prequel.

Suspenseful with a plot twist! Will keep you guessing until the end.

Yes it did indeed! 😀

Solid piece of low-budget indie horror filmmaking!