Rating: R
Starring:
Ricky Ullman as David Forrester
Dallas Page as Captain Kennedy
Talan Torriero as Yates
David Eigenberg as Norris
Lin Shaye as Nancy Forrester
Marc McClure as Rich Forrester
Russell Sams as Dean Forrester
Baelyn Neff as Myra
Jeremy Lelliott as Noah
Cory Hardrict as Darryl Jones
Frankie Levangie as Boyle
Shahine Ezell as Cobey
David Skyler as KC
Connor Ross as Jonathan
John Walcutt as Quails
Special Features:
Audio Commentaries with director Tim Sullivan, producer Chris Kobin, and actor Diamond Dallas Page
“Through the Gauntlet: Inside the Walls of Driftwood” Featurette
Extended and Deleted Scenes
Alternate Ending
Trailer
Photo Gallery and More!
Other Info:
Widescreen
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
DTS 5.1 Surround Sound
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD description:
“Riddled with guilt over the loss of his rock star older brother, 16-year-old David Forrester (Raviv Ullman, ‘Phil of the Future’) becomes obsessed with death, leading his misguided parents to send him to Driftwood, an “Attitude Adjustment Camp for Troubled Youths” run by the sadistic Captain Doug Kennedy (wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page) and his brutal young henchman, Yates (Talan Torriero, ‘Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County’). Once there, David becomes haunted by the spirit of Jonathan (Connor Ross), a former inmate who met a mysterious end – a mystery whose resolution could very well be David’s only way out…A startling and unpredictable chiller from Tim Sullivan (‘2001 Maniacs’), also starring David Eigenberg (‘Sex and the City’), Lin Shaye (‘Snakes on a Plane’) and Marc McClure (‘Superman: The Movie’).”
“Driftwood” is rated R for violence, language and sexual references.
Mini-Review:
I’m a big fan of Dark Horse Comics, so I was happy to see them venture into the realm of independent films. They have a lot of great stories in their comics and there are a lot of them that would make great films. However, “Driftwood” falls well short of their high storytelling standards. This script seems like what you would get if you asked a group of disgruntled high schoolers to make a movie. It has everything you would expect from such a script teen rebellion, violence, horror, sex, alternative rock, etc. The kids battle their teachers, battle the establishment, and battle each other. And for good measure they bash both Christianity and anti-homosexuality extremists. That about covers everything, doesn’t it? The end product is a schizophrenic mix of genres and subplots all wrapped in a low-budget package. The acting pretty much matches the quality of everything else in the film it’s poor.
I have no idea who to recommend “Driftwood” to. It’s not scary enough to please horror fans. It’s not edgy enough to please people looking for a teen drama. The only people that might want to view this are those interested in low budget filmmaking. This movie will certainly tell them what to do and what not to do.
In the bonus features you get your standard offerings like an audio commentary and a “making of” featurette. (The creators certainly make the movie seem more profound than the final product.) There’s also another featurette where you see the location where the movie was shot at. The alternate ending and deleted scenes are quite minor. Overall, there’s not much here worth mentioning.
