The Pack (DVD)

The debut feature from writer/director, Franck Richard, The Pack focuses on a young woman, Charlotte (Dequenne), embarking on some sort of road trip to escape her disastrous life. After picking up a hitchhiker named Max, Charlotte runs into trouble from a group of loutish bikers, leading to a face-off in a roadside cafe. Bailed out at the last minute by the cafe’s proprietor, Charlotte and Max manage to escape the violent encounter. However, when Max goes AWOL after going to the bathroom, Charlotte goes searching for him, and uncovers the cafe proprietor’s dark secret.

This potentially brilliant slice of Euro horror eventually lets the side down and proves that not every grotesque and uber-violent entry from France comes pre-wrapped in blood-soaked brilliance. An interesting set-up throws in a few clever red herrings and adopts a Spoorloos kind of intrigue once one of the protagonists goes walkabout, though The Pack very quickly returns to familiar and rather dull territory once Charlotte realises her doomed fate. The film does take an interesting turn once the film’s true bad guys are revealed, though writer/director, Franck Richard fails to capitalize on this gruesome twist and delivers a disappointingly flat final act with very little bite. 

The DVD package features some great artwork commissioned by Brit poster artist, Graham Humphreys, though the only other features on the disc are a trailer and a blink and you’ll miss it creature design featurette.

Overall Verdict: Promising but ultimately disappointing. This pack lacks bite

Special Features:
‘Creating the Pack’ Featurette
Trailer

Reviewer: Lee Griffiths