The Shortcut
Encyclopedia
The Shortcut is a 2009
horror
-thriller film directed by Nicholaus Goossen
. The movie stars Andrew Seeley
, Shannon Woodward, Dave Franco
and Katrina Bowden
. Adam Sandler
production company, Happy Madison Productions (under the name Scary Madison Productions) made the movie, with Sandler serving as an Executive Producer. The movie was released Direct-to-DVD on September 29, 2009 in the USA.
It is revealed that Benjamin has growing health issues, and eventually begins to murder anyone he see's using the shortcut. Ivor, and the rest of Benjamin's family then hide him away from the rest of the world, by shackling him to the basement by a chain around his neck.
Present day - Derek (Andrew Seeley
) has recently moved to a new town and school and has befriended the feisty Lisa (Shannon Woodward) and Mark (Dave Franco
), while taken a liking to Christy (Katrina Bowden
). Meanwhile, at his school, Tobey (Nicholas Elia
) tells a few of his classmates he got kicked out of his old school for fighting. The kids then dare Tobey to go through the shortcut, to which he does alone. As Tobey makes his way along, he comes across a dead dog and an old man (Raymond J. Barry
) who threatens him, causing him to run off.
Arriving home, Derek finds his brother Tobey covered in blood. Tobey tells Derek of the events on the shortcut, prompting Derek to go investigate, however he has to leave to go to the fast food place that he and Mark work at. When Derek tells Mark of the old man and the dog, Mark proceeds to tell Derek of the story of the old man who presumably killed people on the shortcut, yet nothing has ever been proven.
That night Derek returns home to his Grandma's (Maxine Miller
) home, whom the family have moved in with after the death of their Dad. Derek's mom (Wendy Anderson) urges Derek to set a good example for Tobey. The next morning, Derek voices his opinions of annoyance from having to move to a new town again. While at school, Derek makes a move on Christy, before he is approached by Taylor (Josh Emerson) who has heard about the dead dog on the shortcut. Taylor tells him his dog has gone missing and believes the old man has killed his dog. The pair makes an arrangement to go to the shortcut that night together.
After dinner, Derek asks his Grandma about the shortcut, she warns him never to go there. Derek's mom then tells him that the old man on the shortcut is that last member of the Hartley family still alive, and says she thinks "he just wants to be left alone." Taylor arrives and Derek and Taylor go to the shortcut. They come out at the old man's house and sneak into his garage where they find dog collars, but none of the collars belong to Taylor's dog. The old man appears and they flee.
The next day, the group become determined to prove the old man is killing dogs. Derek and Lisa attempt to go back to the house, however the pairs plans are foiled when the old man does not leave his house. Later at work, Derek is startled to see the old man. Derek is unable to determine if the old man recognizes him from the night before, and he leaves soon after. Christy then arrives and she too spots the old man. Derek manages to get an intrigued Christy's number, so she can help with the investigation. After she leaves, Derek witnesses Mark being attacked and murdered, however it's revealed Mark was pulling a prank.
The next day, at Derek's house, Mark, Lisa and Taylor have met up with Derek. Taylor tells them that a friend's dog has also gone missing and that the old man is a veteran, so he spends every Friday night at the memorial hall. They make a plan for Derek and Christy to spy on the old man at the memorial hall, while the other three go to investigate his house. Tobey then enters, where Lisa teases him before leaving.
At the memorial hall, Derek and Christy bond before they make out and then realize that the old man has arrived. Derek phones the others to go to the house. Mark, Lisa and Taylor go through the shortcut and break into the old mans house. Mark and Lisa find a room where Benjamin(the killer from 1945) was presumably home schooled in. Mark and Taylor then go into the basement. Meanwhile, Christy and Derek realize the old man is leaving however they can not get the others on the phone. Derek then realizes they must beat the old man back to the house, so they quickly begins to drive to the house. In the basement, Mark and Taylor discover an old man (William B. Davis
), revealed to be Benjamin, shackled to a large wheel by a chain that is padlocked around his neck. Benjamin pleads for them to help him before the old man arrives back home. Lisa, Mark and Taylor take Benjamin and depart the house,but leave Benjamin bound to the wheel by the chain around his neck. As they reach the shortcut, the chain restricts him from moving further. Taylor grabs the sledgehammer to break the chain, while Benjamin and Mark hold the chain tight. As Taylor swings the sledgehammer, he misses and hits Mark's hand, horribly disfiguring it. As Lisa attempts to get a signal on her phone to call help, Taylor tends to Mark. Suddenly Benjamin hits Taylor over the head with the sledgehammer, killing him. Mark attempts to crawl away, but he too is killed with the sledgehammer. Lisa runs away as Benjamin manages to break the chain.
Derek and Christy arrive at the house and find a distraught Lisa who warns them they need to leave. Just then, the old man, revealed as Ivor, arrives and crashes into the back of Derek and Christy's car and then tried to shoot them. Derek and Christy then flee the car and head for the forest as Lisa is shot in the leg. Derek urges Christy to escape, while he helps Lisa to run. As Christy runs deeper into the forest, she becomes lost. Suddenly she is attacked by Benjamin. As Derek and Lisa run through the forest, they fall into a pit of bones. Derek manages to climb out, but is unable to help Lisa out as Ivor arrives. Lisa hides under the bones but is spotted, and as she is about to be shot, Derek knocks out Ivor, allowing Lisa to escape. Again running through the forest, the two stumble upon Benjamin who has captured Christy and has her bound by the neck with the remaining length of chain that is also still attached to his neck. Derek attempts to save her, but Benjamin breaks Christy's neck, killing her. Derek attacks Benjamin and is stabbed in the side while doing so. Derek quickly finds the sledgehammer and braces himself to hit Benjamin. Before Derek can hit benjamin Ivor turns up, he warns Derek not to hit Benjamin, and as Derek is about to, Ivor shoots Benjamin, while saying "he can no longer deal with having to hide Benjamin and kill anyone who happens to see him." Ivor then shoots himself, allowing Derek and Lisa to make their way out of the forest. Lisa becomes unable to walk due to her injury and Derek checks on it. As they are about to continue on, Lisa is stabbed to death by Tobey. Derek is shocked at first but then says he is disappointed in his brother for allowing this to happen again, and reveals that Tobey murdered their father. The two brothers then begin to drag Lisa's body into the forest. Derek reassures Tobey they will be able to cover up her death.
on 29 September 2009 Direct-to-DVD with a PG-13 rating due to violence and terror, language, sexual material, thematic elements and brief teen drinking.
2009 in film
The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
-thriller film directed by Nicholaus Goossen
Nicholaus Goossen
Nicholaus Edward Goossen is a director, and a photographer.Goossen's first feature film was "Grandma's Boy" for Happy Madison Productions and 20th Century Fox...
. The movie stars Andrew Seeley
Andrew Seeley
Andrew Edgar "Drew" Seeley is a Canadian actor, singer-songwriter and dancer. He has recorded many songs for the Walt Disney Company...
, Shannon Woodward, Dave Franco
Dave Franco
David John "Dave" Franco is an American television and film actor who played the role of Cole Aaronson for season nine of Scrubs.-Personal life:...
and Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden is an American actress. She is known for her short role as Britney Jennings on One Life to Live and for her role as Cerie in 30 Rock .- Education :...
. Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
production company, Happy Madison Productions (under the name Scary Madison Productions) made the movie, with Sandler serving as an Executive Producer. The movie was released Direct-to-DVD on September 29, 2009 in the USA.
Plot
In 1945 a young couple, Ivor Hartley (Daniel Maslany) and Irene (Tracy-Lynn Pugsley) are leaving the homecoming dance. The couple take a shortcut through the woods where they begin to make out. Irene wants to stop but Ivor attempts to rape her. She manages to injure him however so he leaves. As Irene makes her way out of the shortcut, Benjamin Hartley attacks her, hitting her over the head with a rock and killing her.It is revealed that Benjamin has growing health issues, and eventually begins to murder anyone he see's using the shortcut. Ivor, and the rest of Benjamin's family then hide him away from the rest of the world, by shackling him to the basement by a chain around his neck.
Present day - Derek (Andrew Seeley
Andrew Seeley
Andrew Edgar "Drew" Seeley is a Canadian actor, singer-songwriter and dancer. He has recorded many songs for the Walt Disney Company...
) has recently moved to a new town and school and has befriended the feisty Lisa (Shannon Woodward) and Mark (Dave Franco
Dave Franco
David John "Dave" Franco is an American television and film actor who played the role of Cole Aaronson for season nine of Scrubs.-Personal life:...
), while taken a liking to Christy (Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden
Katrina Bowden is an American actress. She is known for her short role as Britney Jennings on One Life to Live and for her role as Cerie in 30 Rock .- Education :...
). Meanwhile, at his school, Tobey (Nicholas Elia
Nicholas Elia
Nicholas Elia is a Canadian film and television actor.- Filmography :-Supernatural:Nicholas Elia appeared as a guest star in Supernatural Season 3 episode The Kids Are Alright, he returned to the show in season 6. Elia was reluctant to reprise his role as Ben Braedon...
) tells a few of his classmates he got kicked out of his old school for fighting. The kids then dare Tobey to go through the shortcut, to which he does alone. As Tobey makes his way along, he comes across a dead dog and an old man (Raymond J. Barry
Raymond J. Barry
Raymond John Barry is an American film, television and stage actor.-Personal life:Raymond John Barry was born in Hempstead, New York . His father, Raymond Barry, worked in sales. His mother, Barbara Barry , was also an actor, known professionally as B. Constance Barry...
) who threatens him, causing him to run off.
Arriving home, Derek finds his brother Tobey covered in blood. Tobey tells Derek of the events on the shortcut, prompting Derek to go investigate, however he has to leave to go to the fast food place that he and Mark work at. When Derek tells Mark of the old man and the dog, Mark proceeds to tell Derek of the story of the old man who presumably killed people on the shortcut, yet nothing has ever been proven.
That night Derek returns home to his Grandma's (Maxine Miller
Maxine Miller
Maxine Miller is a Canadian actress who first appeared in the first three seasons of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In the 1980s, she voiced True Heart Bear in The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation and appeared on the animated series My Pet Monster.More recently, she guest starred in Showtime's...
) home, whom the family have moved in with after the death of their Dad. Derek's mom (Wendy Anderson) urges Derek to set a good example for Tobey. The next morning, Derek voices his opinions of annoyance from having to move to a new town again. While at school, Derek makes a move on Christy, before he is approached by Taylor (Josh Emerson) who has heard about the dead dog on the shortcut. Taylor tells him his dog has gone missing and believes the old man has killed his dog. The pair makes an arrangement to go to the shortcut that night together.
After dinner, Derek asks his Grandma about the shortcut, she warns him never to go there. Derek's mom then tells him that the old man on the shortcut is that last member of the Hartley family still alive, and says she thinks "he just wants to be left alone." Taylor arrives and Derek and Taylor go to the shortcut. They come out at the old man's house and sneak into his garage where they find dog collars, but none of the collars belong to Taylor's dog. The old man appears and they flee.
The next day, the group become determined to prove the old man is killing dogs. Derek and Lisa attempt to go back to the house, however the pairs plans are foiled when the old man does not leave his house. Later at work, Derek is startled to see the old man. Derek is unable to determine if the old man recognizes him from the night before, and he leaves soon after. Christy then arrives and she too spots the old man. Derek manages to get an intrigued Christy's number, so she can help with the investigation. After she leaves, Derek witnesses Mark being attacked and murdered, however it's revealed Mark was pulling a prank.
The next day, at Derek's house, Mark, Lisa and Taylor have met up with Derek. Taylor tells them that a friend's dog has also gone missing and that the old man is a veteran, so he spends every Friday night at the memorial hall. They make a plan for Derek and Christy to spy on the old man at the memorial hall, while the other three go to investigate his house. Tobey then enters, where Lisa teases him before leaving.
At the memorial hall, Derek and Christy bond before they make out and then realize that the old man has arrived. Derek phones the others to go to the house. Mark, Lisa and Taylor go through the shortcut and break into the old mans house. Mark and Lisa find a room where Benjamin(the killer from 1945) was presumably home schooled in. Mark and Taylor then go into the basement. Meanwhile, Christy and Derek realize the old man is leaving however they can not get the others on the phone. Derek then realizes they must beat the old man back to the house, so they quickly begins to drive to the house. In the basement, Mark and Taylor discover an old man (William B. Davis
William B. Davis
William Bruce Davis is a Canadian actor, known for his role as The Smoking Man on The X-Files. He has also appeared in Stargate SG-1 as Damaris, a Prior of the Ori and as Mayor Tate on Smallville...
), revealed to be Benjamin, shackled to a large wheel by a chain that is padlocked around his neck. Benjamin pleads for them to help him before the old man arrives back home. Lisa, Mark and Taylor take Benjamin and depart the house,but leave Benjamin bound to the wheel by the chain around his neck. As they reach the shortcut, the chain restricts him from moving further. Taylor grabs the sledgehammer to break the chain, while Benjamin and Mark hold the chain tight. As Taylor swings the sledgehammer, he misses and hits Mark's hand, horribly disfiguring it. As Lisa attempts to get a signal on her phone to call help, Taylor tends to Mark. Suddenly Benjamin hits Taylor over the head with the sledgehammer, killing him. Mark attempts to crawl away, but he too is killed with the sledgehammer. Lisa runs away as Benjamin manages to break the chain.
Derek and Christy arrive at the house and find a distraught Lisa who warns them they need to leave. Just then, the old man, revealed as Ivor, arrives and crashes into the back of Derek and Christy's car and then tried to shoot them. Derek and Christy then flee the car and head for the forest as Lisa is shot in the leg. Derek urges Christy to escape, while he helps Lisa to run. As Christy runs deeper into the forest, she becomes lost. Suddenly she is attacked by Benjamin. As Derek and Lisa run through the forest, they fall into a pit of bones. Derek manages to climb out, but is unable to help Lisa out as Ivor arrives. Lisa hides under the bones but is spotted, and as she is about to be shot, Derek knocks out Ivor, allowing Lisa to escape. Again running through the forest, the two stumble upon Benjamin who has captured Christy and has her bound by the neck with the remaining length of chain that is also still attached to his neck. Derek attempts to save her, but Benjamin breaks Christy's neck, killing her. Derek attacks Benjamin and is stabbed in the side while doing so. Derek quickly finds the sledgehammer and braces himself to hit Benjamin. Before Derek can hit benjamin Ivor turns up, he warns Derek not to hit Benjamin, and as Derek is about to, Ivor shoots Benjamin, while saying "he can no longer deal with having to hide Benjamin and kill anyone who happens to see him." Ivor then shoots himself, allowing Derek and Lisa to make their way out of the forest. Lisa becomes unable to walk due to her injury and Derek checks on it. As they are about to continue on, Lisa is stabbed to death by Tobey. Derek is shocked at first but then says he is disappointed in his brother for allowing this to happen again, and reveals that Tobey murdered their father. The two brothers then begin to drag Lisa's body into the forest. Derek reassures Tobey they will be able to cover up her death.
Cast
- Drew Seeley as Derek
- Shannon Woodward as Lisa
- Dave FrancoDave FrancoDavid John "Dave" Franco is an American television and film actor who played the role of Cole Aaronson for season nine of Scrubs.-Personal life:...
as Mark - Katrina BowdenKatrina BowdenKatrina Bowden is an American actress. She is known for her short role as Britney Jennings on One Life to Live and for her role as Cerie in 30 Rock .- Education :...
as Christy - Jace Fjestad as Taylor
- Nicholas EliaNicholas EliaNicholas Elia is a Canadian film and television actor.- Filmography :-Supernatural:Nicholas Elia appeared as a guest star in Supernatural Season 3 episode The Kids Are Alright, he returned to the show in season 6. Elia was reluctant to reprise his role as Ben Braedon...
as Tobey - Raymond J. BarryRaymond J. BarryRaymond John Barry is an American film, television and stage actor.-Personal life:Raymond John Barry was born in Hempstead, New York . His father, Raymond Barry, worked in sales. His mother, Barbara Barry , was also an actor, known professionally as B. Constance Barry...
as Old Man/Ivor - William B. DavisWilliam B. DavisWilliam Bruce Davis is a Canadian actor, known for his role as The Smoking Man on The X-Files. He has also appeared in Stargate SG-1 as Damaris, a Prior of the Ori and as Mayor Tate on Smallville...
as Benjamin - Wendy Anderson as Derek's Mom
- Maxine MillerMaxine MillerMaxine Miller is a Canadian actress who first appeared in the first three seasons of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In the 1980s, she voiced True Heart Bear in The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation and appeared on the animated series My Pet Monster.More recently, she guest starred in Showtime's...
as Grandma - Tracy-Lynn Pugsley as Irene
Release
The movie was released by Anchor Bay EntertainmentAnchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
on 29 September 2009 Direct-to-DVD with a PG-13 rating due to violence and terror, language, sexual material, thematic elements and brief teen drinking.