Red Night at Skye’s is a horror-crime-thriller with a lot going on. Too much, in fact. Written and directed by Chris Grega, we meet good guy Cole (Brock Roberts) who is between a rock, a hard place, and the chance to make some quick cash. With his wife dying, and medical bills piling up, Cole has the opportunity to put his scruples on hold for a transformative amount of money. The problem is that despite the stakes we are never fully onboard. A convoluted narrative, a plot that doesn’t know when to focus, and a healthy dose of melodrama results in the crime-drug-biker-nazi-zombie-horror-thriller Red Night at Skye’s.

As mentioned, Cole has a dying wife, two kids, and is struggling to make ends meet. On the way to work one day, Cole’s buddy Tom (Skully Shemwell) floats the idea of robbing Skye’s Pawn Shop on the other side of town.Yes, the place is a front for a meth lab. Yes, the place is run by stereotypical racist bikers. But after an initial repudiation of the idea, Cole succumbs to the siren call of cash. Cole’s Vietnam Vet father William (Bill Moseley) tries to warn his stubborn son, but Cole has decided to join in the heist.

Cole, Tom, recovering addict Robbie (Joe Hammerstone), and a few other thugs make their move. Surprise though, dropping into Skye’s Pawn shop to commit a smash and grab raid doesn’t go as planned. In fact, it goes about as poorly as it could. This drives the team of bandits further into a den of debauchery with no way out but through.

Grega really gives it everything from a creative standpoint. With the right balance, he could have had something. This feels like an unholy blend of Reservoir Dogs, From Dusk Till Dawn, Dawn of the Dead, and oddly enough, Breaking Bad that was so insane it might have worked. As it stands we reach a level of saturation in the form of ideas. Who is the enemy? What is the commentary? Can we pick a through line and use the other ideas as garnish? No. It’s all there, all on the table, and all up for grabs.

One bright spot was the storyline of Emma (Jackie Kelly). A captive of the biker-meth-nazis, Emma is freed by the crew of criminals in their attempt to escape the scene of the crime. Kelly gives Chloë Sevigny/Maika Monroe vibes as she fights her way out of her own trap with the help of leading man and quintessential good guy Cole. You remember Cole.

Had Red Night at Skye’s really pulled its focus to stay on Cole and his point of view, this might have been a cleaner story and a better film. Instead we have a handful of ideas all mashed together, presented in a clunky way. To be fair, the film is entertaining at times. Certain set pieces and a few of the concepts stick with you. But that’s just the problem. With so much going on, so many characters, and so many theses, Red Night at Skye’s is a muddled, melodramatic, if admirable, mess.