Night Shift was a hell of a movie to officially end the 2022 Chattanooga Film Festival with. The only thing I knew about it until I was waiting for it to get unlocked was that the poster looked great. The brief synopsis that was provided got me excited to see it and let me tell you it does not disappoint. I can’t think of a better way to have ended the festival than with this movie.
The synopsis that was provided was: “After a break-in occurs during her first night on the job, the lone night shift janitor must fight to survive when she becomes the target of the masked intruders,” and if that doesn’t get you excited for the movie, I don’t know what will. Greg Swinson and Ryan Thiessen did an absolutely kick ass job as the directors. Swinson also wrote the script. The way they were able to use the warehouse setting is masterful.
This is Natalie Terrazzino’s movie. You root for her as soon as her character Karen interacts with the guy that trains her. It only intensifies when everything starts happening around the warehouse. She shares the same tenacity as Sharni Vinson in You’re Next. Karen to survive and kill the guys that broke in and attacked her. JC Oakley III, Larry Bunton, Philip Zimny, and Trevor Tucker do an amazing job of playing off of what Terrazzino does. Everyone brings so much to their roles in this movie.
The practical effects in Night Shift look amazing. Whenever there’s a wound shown you wince. You feel the damage when it happens, no matter who it happens to. I really want to mention the music by David Risdahl. His score adds a sense of foreboding to the movie as soon as it starts.
Night Shift is a kick ass movie that will find its audience, as soon as the rights get bought. There was something that I found out in the Q&A which was that this movie was made in Morristown, Tennessee. That was a nice surprise to me, because there aren’t really that many movies made in Tennessee. This was the world premiere of Night Shift and I think it deserves to be seen by as many people as possible. I give Night Shift 10 bloody hammers out of 10.