Shortcut

If only someone had course-corrected the filmmakers on their own route to making this letdown of a horror road-movie, which gets off to a good start before losing its way.

Both an amateurish production and a mindless genre exercise.

The kindest thing I can say for Shortcut is that the briefly-glimpsed practical monster effects by Rome-based EFX outfit Makinarium (Zoolander 2) are nicely done.

While "Shortcut" won't win awards, it does take us on a joyride back to the old-school horror style, in which the scares are teased rather than trumpeted. It is ideal drive-in fare.

A serviceable creature-feature that will play well enough with housebound under-'20s, the patch-quilt monster-movie/teen drama Shortcut is light on logic but buoyed by an engaging spirit.

While there are great performances, intense moments, and a little bit of blood, Shortcut is a creature feature whose creature comes up short.

A poorly made monster fantasy film.

The only thing that Shortcut gets right is the movie's title, which could describe how this vapid horror flick bypasses anything resembling a good story.

Overall, Shortcut is a squarely solid little creature feature with a little heart and a great monster.

Even if the setting feels a little dull, and the narrative rather repetitive, there are just enough moments of unnerving nastiness to keep us watching.