In writer/director Christopher Donaldson’s Ditched, paramedic Melina (Marika Sila) desperately wants to return home to her daughter after a routine prison transfer crashes in the forest. Surrounded by murderers and other less than savory characters, she must overcome an unseen force. Ditched is a film that has plenty of surprising turns. At first, it comes across like a creature feature before blossoming into a clever revenge narrative and unique type of survival horror.

The first act focuses on the aftermath of the accident, as Melina is thrown into a perilous situation with police officers, her fellow paramedics, and criminals. Ultimately, they’re stuck in the Canadian woods, with the ambulance toppled in a ditch. It’s unclear who or what caused the ambush. Suddenly, they’re attacked by a mysterious force that initially looks like either bigfoot or someone wearing a cheap yeti costume. However, everything becomes clearer near the halfway point when the hunters emerge from the woods for their prey.

Sila is generally good in the lead, and so is the main baddie, Caine (Mackenzie Gray). The rest of the cast, however, is largely forgettable. Some of the performances are stiff, even when each character’s story slowly unfolds, mainly through Caine’s lengthy monologues, illuminating their seedy pasts. The only memorable supporting role belongs to a perverted psychopath, played by Kris Loranger. His character, Franson, spends most of the film strapped to a stretcher. Yet, he poses a constant threat to Melina and oozes sleaziness and sexism. At times, his dialogue is so over the top that it’s colored with dark humor.

The tension really soars in the second half when the reason for the ambush is fully revealed. Along the way, plenty of grisly scenes ensue. One sequence involves a convict trying to free himself by attempting to cut the cuffs on a cop car’s busted glass. It’s a nail-biting few minutes. The setting and atmosphere also warrant some praise. A police car’s flashing lights and the foggy forest lend themselves well to the film’s first act. They create a sense that the force can attack anywhere and anytime and indeed do. Something lurks in the darkness indeed.

Near its halfway point, the film edges splatter fest territory. This isn’t for the squeamish. Kudos to the special effects crew. The deaths are vicious but often warrant the crimes. Frankly, they just look good, too. This is a movie unafraid to really lean into bloodletting. It’s Old Testament-style revenge, or, as they say, an eye for an eye. Further, there are a few reveals well worth the wait, and the ending shocks and lingers through the credits scene. It’s a throwback to 70s horror in all the best ways, a truly brutal conclusion.

If you’re looking for a movie to watch on a Saturday night over cheap pizza and booze, Ditched is it. It knows exactly what it is, and it’s all the better for it, especially in the second half. It’s blood-soaked survival horror that goes some places you don’t expect. Donaldson’s film ditches any preconceived notions that Canadians are always nice and friendly. This is one nasty 90-minute ride.

7 Out of 10