No One Lives  ★★★

No One Lives may not be the best horror film ever made but it has a couple of genuinely good twists that definitely make it worth watching.

In fact this 2012 American release is difficult to review and not spoil the reasons for watching it.

I’ll give it a go.

The film starts in typical genre fashion with a woman running screaming through the woods. she manages to scratch her name on a tree before inevitably being re-captured.

We are then introduced to two separate sets of characters, the first being a couple who seem to be trying to reboot their relationship with a weekend away in the wilderness.

The other set is a criminal gang who are caught in the middle of home robbery by the returning owners. A violent resolution is initiated by the crazed Flynn, much to the annoyance of the older gang leader Hoag.

Later the couple and the gang have a confrontation at a diner, again thanks to Flynn.

Seeking to redeem himself Flynn abducts the couple and brings them back to Hoag’s house.

It’s from here that the film gives us those couple of twists that make the rest of the running time worthwhile.

It’s directed by Ryuhei Kitamura who is Japanese and initially attracted attention with Midnight Meat Train in 2008.

While I haven’t seen that film, I have watched Kitamura’s Downrange from 2017 which is an overlooked horror/thriller about a sniper targeting a group who have broken down on a rural highway.

Back to No One Lives which also features some good kills and gore plus decent performances from the oft-dismissed Luke Evans and newcomer Adelaide Clemens.

Out of interest, this is one of the better World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) releases. The company has made about 50 films since 2012, the majority being B-grade actioners or comedies.

By the way, WWE’s best by a longshot is 2019’s comedy/drama Fighting With My Family.