Set in the 1980s, an estranged family hires a cult deprogrammer to take back their teenage son from a murderous cult, but find themselves under siege when the cultists surround their cabin, demanding the boy back.
This trailer is giving off three distinct vibes: slasher, cult, and survival horror. Even better, they all blend together here successfully. There’s certainly some tropes for the genres present (menacing silhouettes in the fog, an isolated, homestead, and improvised weapons to name a few), but again, it works well enough. There’s almost a You’re Next style to it, particularly with the masks. While it may not end up being a terribly original movie, it seems safe to say it should at least be entertaining. This is the feature length debut of writer Jared Rivet, and director Kevin Greutert (Saw VI, Saw 3D) is at the helm.
Jackals will be in theaters, on demand, and released digitally on September 1st, 2017.