‘Tow‘ is a serial killer horror film directed by Vanessa Alexander with Caitlin Gerard and Jesse Mittelstadt writing the screenplay. It was made by The Ninth House and released exclusively in North America on the Tubi streaming service.

Maddie (Caitlin Gerard) and her twin sister Abbie (also Caitlin Gerard) are the only survivors of The Mechanic (Kane Hodder), a serial killer who murdered people in a bizarre occult ritual by posing as tow trucker drive. Both sisters relay to their psychiatrist Tom (Abe Bueno-Jallad) that they are having a strange dream where they are being towed by the Mechanic, despite the fact his execution is approaching. On his final day, he has been painting a symbol in his cell with his blood and chanting something. When Abbie is accused of trying to kill her husband Ethan (Brian Dare), Maddie realizes that something strange is going on and the Mechanic is not done with them.

I could tell the writers did not know how to connect the dots on the very contrived plot they cobbled together. Between the occult practices, the waking dream, and the often idiotic actions of the protagonists, I think they realized it did not make sense. To fill in the gaps, they chose to go with shock value over storytelling.

It is a common practice among horror filmmakers that if they cannot make the story connect, they all more gore and more foul language with the hopes that the audience will ignore the plot holes, logic problems, and stupidity of the protagonists.

These are reasons I avoid horror, in general. If it is done correctly, like The Shining or Last Night In Soho, it can provide a thrilling tale that keeps the audience on the edge. However, viewers recognize shock and blood in place of a good story.

Now, I do not blame the actors. They all pulled off good performances and I think they would have been helped by a better script. Of course, the main actress helped write the screenplay, so that may have proved a problem.

Bottom line, Tow is more about the gore than it is about thrilling the audience. It replaced blood splatter with horror and you could tell from the onset.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong gory violence, Strong foul language

FAVORITE QUOTE: How do you like it?

Check out the trailer below:

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