With a delicious simple premise (punks vs. a park ranger) The Ranger is a stylish slasher movie that might just be worth your time. The film opens with the crack of a gunshot in a dense forest, and has a first scene brimming with tension. From here it moves to a punk-rock opening, with director Jenn Wexler, making her debut, giving the film a propulsive energy. Wexler only allows audiences to catch their breath about twenty minutes in, when The Ranger reaches its woodland setting.

From here the film's plot kicks in proper. Chelsea (the film's final girl) and her gang of punk friends are on the run from the cops after a drug bust gets violent, ending up in the woods at Chelsea's uncle's abandoned cabin (of course). The group are not alone, crossing paths with a park ranger who has a decidedly complicated past with Chelsea.

Chloe Levine is great in the lead role, subtly building the tics that clue in the audience in that there is something more to her. Chelsea's action always feel grounded and smart, with Levine making her a particularly compelling heroine. Jeremy Holm is a hoot as the Ranger, a hulking villain who has the most wonderfully dangerous smile. The rest of the collection of punks that make the film's (likely) victims manage to err on the right side of likeability. Each of the cast bring enough quirks to make them a surprisingly rounded group, which means that when the killings begin (and this, a slasher movie, means there will be blood) they manage to have a little bit more impact.

The film's bloody and well-choreographed action will be the draw for many horror fans and there is a particularly standout scene in a convenience store. I especially liked some of the bolder uses of colour in this film, and the overall design is grand. Yet there are flaws too. The final third feels somewhat rushed, with the reveal feeling more confused then it needed to be. I wish we'd had more time for Chelsea's fight back, with the film covering a lot of plot in a short space of time. Still, The Ranger is one of the more enjoyable and distinctly put-together slasher films of recent years, aided by a standout lead pair. I'm excited to see what director Jenn Wexler does after this abrasive calling card, a must-watch for horror fans.

This is a Fright Fest Film Festival preview and The Ranger will be released at a later date.