![]() ![]() His little brother Tobey (Nicholas Elia), meanwhile, is dared by a couple of his peers to take the titular route through some dark woods where a scary and dangerous old man is said to dwell. Heading up the likable cast is Drew Seeley as Derek, a new kid in his high school who has rebelled-to an extent-by quitting the crew team after only a couple of months and hangs out with teen bookie Lisa (Shannon Woodward). (There are any number of action flicks, and even horror films, that share The Shortcut’s PG-13 rating while presenting significantly greater levels of carnage.) Still, on its own younger-skewing terms, The Shortcut is a little smarter and sports a few more eccentricities than many of its similarly pitched competitors. It dances around dark territory without fully committing, putting an equal emphasis on typical screen-teen behavior people die, but little onscreen blood is shed. The result is a movie that feels awkwardly caught between competing ambitions. ![]() were all about making it an R-rated feature it was the financiers who came on board during preproduction who insisted it be watered down for youth-audience consumption. And, as is revealed on Anchor Bay’s DVD of Scary Madison’s first feature The Shortcut, Sandler-who doesn’t take an onscreen credit-and co. The idea of Adam Sandler backing a horror film (under his new Scary Madison banner) needn’t automatically be a negative one after all, funnyman Mel Brooks’ productions have included the modern classic The Fly, the darkly brilliant The Elephant Man and best-selling zombie author Max Brooks. Editor's Note: This was originally published for FANGORIA on August 31, 2009, and we're proud to share it as part of The Gingold Files. ![]()
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