Summer Scars (2007)

A group of kids take off from school to spend the day hanging out in the woods.  They panic after hitting a stranger with a stolen moped they were joyriding thru the woods on.  When he shows up and starts talking to them they relax a bit, but just as things seem okay the stranger begins to get dangerous.  Before they know what is happening the man is keeping them hostage with a gun.  Only one of is able to escape, so the stranger and the kids wait for the cops to eventually arrive.  While they are waiting he starts to taunt and mentally abuse the kids, and eventually takes the only girl off in the woods to do go knows what (actually it is pretty obvious).  This is where the movie takes an unexpected turn and finishes up with a very cool ending. 

My expectations were pretty low when I sat down to watch Summer Scars.  They were even lower after watching the first five or ten minutes of the movie, which is shot on digital.  But then the movie really grabbed my attention and never let go.  This is a very basic story that is simple, but very effective.  The movie gets to the action quickly and has an excellent atmosphere right from the minute the stranger, Peter, is introduced.  Right away there is something wrong with this guy, but the kids don’t see it until it is too late.  When Peter starts in on the mental and physical abuse it is painful to watch.  This is party because of how well and realistically the characters are written and partly because of the wonderful cast.  First and most obvious is the single adult character, Peter, who is played with a great deal of subtle realism by actor Kevin Howarth.  This performance makes for a frighteningly accurate picture of a man with mental health issues.  I won’t go into the individual actors that play the kids, but they are all really fine performers. 

There isn’t any gore or special effects in this movie.  But the filmmakers do a wonderful job lighting and shooting this movie.  This is by far one of the better movies that I’ve seen shot on digital.  They also do a very good job with the sound, which I’ve seen far too many lower budget movies screw up.  The music is a bit much for me, but I’m not a fan of the rap music, which is what blares at you from the opening and end credits. 

All in all this is a competently made movie, which along with the great story and cast makes for a good watch.  I think a lot of people are going to really enjoy this movie and recommend at least a rental, if not a purchase.  For more information about where you can pick up a copy of Summer Scars head on over to the TLA website.

3 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer

© Copyright 2008 John Shatzer