Anthony Diblasi's Last Shift creeped me out more than I anticipated. It starts out slow, you settle your feet, trying to understand what is happening. Slowly pieces are starting to fall together and the tension rises. You are waiting for jump-scares but Diblasi doesn't use them a lot, a few times but not to the level of annoyance. When the story unfolds and you learn about her dad you will be thinking to yourself, why is she working there, ONE YEAR, after what happened to her dad?

Anyway, you continue and are kinda in awe about how great Juliana Harkavy is in this and that luckily for you, she is in every scene. The creepiness level rises, along the way they remind you that a HAZMAT team is coming in later that night. She learns more about the phone calls she's receiving, you have figured it out already, but you keep watching because the tension is still there.

The crazy images go up to eleven and you feel the climax is coming and the ending you are anticipating will be there. The film is over and you are glad, you can relax and know that you want to see horror movies these days will be more about atmosphere and tension instead of loads and loads of cheap jump-scares. Jump-scares are fun, but not around every corner.

I hope this makes scenes, but if you want to know if I enjoyed Last Shift, I did! If you like horror, I can certainly recommend this one!

Rookie police officer Jessica Loren (Juliana Harkavy THE WALKING DEAD) sits in her car parked outside a police station on the phone with her fretting and worried mother. Loren's first day on the job is about to start and she is to watch over the police station that is all but closed; emergency calls are being routed to another station. Entering the station she is greeted by the oddly acting Sgt. Cohen (Hank Stone LEGION OF THE DEAD). The Sarge takes her on a tour of the station, there are no prisoners, no staff, no other officers, gives her his phone number in case of an emergency, tells her not to leave her post and heads home.

The set up is familiar to anyone who has seen John Carpenter's ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (and you have seen it, right?). but LAST SHIFT doesn't deal with a gang attack on the station, it goes in a very different direction. This is the station where Loren's police officer father was killed when the members of a Manson like cult were arrested and brought in to be interrogated. Those past tragic events haunt Loren and all sorts of spooky and bewildering incidents drive her to panic. Furniture re-arranges itself, a silent homeless man somehow finds access into the locked building, an emergency call comes in from a young woman who needs help to escape from her kidnappers, and Loren has visions of the long dead King of Hell cult members.

Is the station haunted? Or is this an elaborate hoax being played on the rookie? Or is she loosing her mind?

Co-writers Anthony DiBlasi and Scott Poiley, with DiBlasi directing, manage to take a simple scenario and one location and ratchet up the tension. It's not all that often the proverbial hairs on the back of my neck stand up while watching a film. Lead Juliana Harkavy creates a character that is tough yet vulnerable and believable. It certainly adds to the fear factor of a film when we sympathize with and care about the main character.

The ending is a bit of a let down. The script and direction are smart and deft at treading the conventions of a horror film, so much so that I was expecting something other than the predictable 'twist' we have. But up until that point it is a spooky ride.