Most anthology films have ups and downs. It’s almost inevitable. Southbound is more even and has more connective tissue than most, but it does feature one segment that singlehandedly justifies seeing the whole movie. Hopefully producers Roxanne Benjamin, Brad Miska and the rest of the team that carried over from the V/H/S films will continue churning out anthologies, but the big takeaway from this one is director David Bruckner and his short segment, "Accident."

The Way Out

The directing collective Radio Silence kicks things off with “The Way Out.” This portion of the movie features Chad Villella and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin as Mitch and Jack. They’re on the run and it’s clear they’ve done something terrible because they’ve got these mysterious, floating skeleton/grim reaper-like creatures following them.

Even without any backstory, Radio Silence manages to spark a good deal of intrigue and urgency. There isn’t anything particularly interesting about Mitch and Jack themselves, but those creatures chasing them are so eerie looking, you can’t help but wonder what they want and what they’re capable of regardless. And when they finally do unleash their wrath upon their targets, Radio Silence doesn’t disappoint. There’s one moment in “The Way Out” that rocks some of the most impressive gore in the entire anthology.

Siren

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Image via TIFF

From there Roxanne Benjamin takes over with “Siren.” Fabianne Therese, Nathalie Love and Hannah Marks are Sadie, Kim and Ava, members of a band on their way to a gig. When their van breaks down, they accept a ride from an unusually generous couple who insists that they come back to their house for a nap and a hot meal while they wait for their tire to be fixed. However, soon after arriving it becomes clear that this isn’t just some good old-fashioned hospitality. This couple has terrible things planned for them.

“Siren” is a quick winner thanks to Therese, Love and Marks. Their performances are strikingly natural and they also share a very believable and appealing chemistry with one another so when things get crazy, it’s particularly effective because you’re actually concerned for their characters. Plus, the situation they find themselves in is especially fascinating due to Benjamin’s striking combination of quirky behavior and sheer terror.

Accident

Then, in the most seamless transition of the entire movie, we roll right into David Bruckner’s “Accident.” When Lucas (Mather Zickel) accidentally hits a woman with his car on a desolate highway, there’s no one who can help him. He’s got to save her himself.

This is the problem with anthology films. They need to work as a whole but there’s always a risk that one segment will be far superior to the others and in Southbound’s case, that segment is “Accident.” Not only does Bruckner’s mini-narrative get a good deal of momentum due to the way it connects to “Siren,” but it’s also a genius idea period. Thanks to a superb performance from Zickel, Bruckner builds an insane amount of tension through a mere phone call before launching into the more gruesome material which is undoubtedly one of the most wonderfully shocking sequences I’ve seen the entire festival.

Jailbreak

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Image via TIFF

It isn’t easy following up the best segment of an anthology and, sure enough, Patrick Horvath’s “Jailbreak” is a bit of a disappointment. This one stars David Yow as Danny. He’s been searching for his sister Jesse (Tipper Newton) for years and now he’s finally managed to track her down. Trouble is, she’s in a town that's basically a cross between reality and hell.

Not only is “Jailbreak” a major lull after “Accident,” but it also feels as though Horvath bit off more than he could chew with a short form narrative. He's trying to build a believable relationship between two people with minimal screen time and also gives himself far too much world-building to do all in the same movie. Short films only have so much time to make an impression. If you can’t do it with compelling characters, an interesting scenario or some sort of gimmicky hook, you’re left dead in the water and that’s what happens with this one.

The Way In

Radio Silence returns to pick the momentum back up with the final segment, “The Way In.” Here we focus on Jem (Hassie Harrison), a young woman taking one last trip with her parents before heading off to college. They settle into their gorgeous vacation home, but then there’s a knock at the door and soon thereafter, they’re terrorized by three vicious masked intruders.

“The Way In” benefits from the inherent sick thrill of a home invasion. Harrison also has a strong enough on-screen presence to strike a connection with minimal character development so when the masked men arrive, you’re rooting for her to make it out alive. The only glaring weak point of this portion of the movie is the ending. Roughly half way through “The Way In,” it becomes abundantly clear how Radio Silence plans to wrap up the whole anthology so when it finally happens, it’s not particularly exciting or satisfying.

Southbound grade: B

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