Hack!
A 2007 horror film about students trapped in a snuff film.
Hack! is a 2007 American horror movie written and directed by Matt Flynn, with Mike Wittlin Productions handling production. The story follows a group of college students on a field trip who find themselves the targets of a snuff film. The cast includes Danica McKellar, Jay Kenneth Johnson, William Forsythe, Sean Kanan, Juliet Landau, Justin Chon, Travis Schuldt, Adrienne Frantz, and Gabrielle Richens. The film first came out in the UK on July 20, 2007, and later in the US on December 11, 2007.
The plot begins on a small island, where a man is chased and decapitated. A group of students—Emily, Johnny, Ricky, Tim, Maddy, Q, and Sylvia—are selected for a field trip there, accompanied by their teacher Mr. Argento. They meet Captain J.T. Bates, who ferries them to the island. There, they stay with a couple, Vincent King and Mary Shelley. Mary, claiming to be an aspiring director, starts filming the group with a handheld recorder. That night, Mr. Villanueva leaves to retrieve equipment but finds J.T. murdered. The students have a bonfire; Q is startled by a clown figure, but no one believes him. Argento is also killed. The next day, Sheriff Stoker arrives looking for a missing hunter but leaves after Vincent and Mary deny seeing him. Tim and Sylvia sneak into the forest for sex; Tim is killed with a chainsaw, and Sylvia is locked in a cage in an underground dungeon. Emily grows concerned as people vanish and the phone lines go dead. Q is killed by the clown while searching for a signal. The remaining students—Emily, Johnny, Ricky, and Maddy—search the forest. Vincent and Mary, revealed to be making a snuff film, watch footage of their murders. Stoker returns but is killed with an axe. Maddy is knocked unconscious; Ricky flees. Maddy wakes tied to a tree and is freed by Willy, who offers his boat. Vincent bites Mary’s neck, killing her. Ricky attacks Vincent but is shot dead. Johnny kisses Emily, then leaves to investigate Ricky’s death. Maddy finds Emily by a well; Emily pushes Maddy in, impaling her on a spike. Vincent emerges, congratulating Emily for luring the students, revealing their affair. Johnny returns and is knocked out. He wakes in the dungeon with Sylvia. Willy frees Johnny, but Vincent and Emily shoot Willy with an arrow. Vincent is injured; Sylvia falls into a pool of piranhas. Johnny is chased to the beach, where Willy, having survived, stabs Vin
- Release year
- 2007
- Director
- Matt Flynn
- Writer
- Matt Flynn
- Producer
- Mike Wittlin Productions
- Country
- United States
- Genre
- Horror
- UK release date
- July 20, 2007
- US release date
- December 11, 2007
Lore & Background
The film follows a group of teenage college students—Emily, Johnny, Ricky, Tim, Maddy, Q, and Sylvia—who are chosen for a field trip to a small island. They are accompanied by their teacher Mr. Argento and meet Captain J.T. Bates, who takes them to the island. There, they stay with a couple, Vincent King and Mary Shelley, who begin filming the group under the pretense of making a movie. As students disappear one by one, it is revealed that Vincent and Mary are making a snuff film, and the students are their victims. The plot involves multiple murders, a clown figure, a dungeon, and a pool of piranha fish, with twists including a sheriff, a deputy, and a character named Willy.
Reader's Guide
Hack! is notable as a low-budget horror film from 2007 that received negative critical reception. Critics such as Steve Barton of Dread Central criticized its 'paper-thin' storyline, and Black Horror Movies faulted it for excessive clichés. The film features a cast including Danica McKellar, Jay Kenneth Johnson, William Forsythe, Sean Kanan, Juliet Landau, Justin Chon, Travis Schuldt, Adrienne Frantz, and Gabrielle Richens. Its release strategy—first in the UK on July 20, 2007, then in the US on December 11, 2007—reflects a common pattern for independent genre films. Despite poor reviews, the film has a place in horror history as an example of the snuff-film subgenre and the slasher tropes of its era.
Did You Know?
- The film was released in the UK on July 20, 2007, before its US release on December 11, 2007.
- The cast includes Danica McKellar, Jay Kenneth Johnson, William Forsythe, Sean Kanan, Juliet Landau, Justin Chon, Travis Schuldt, Adrienne Frantz, and Gabrielle Richens.
- The plot involves a couple, Vincent King and Mary Shelley, who make a snuff film using students on a field trip.
- Critics Steve Barton of Dread Central and Black Horror Movies criticized the film for its thin storyline and excessive clichés.
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