Brea Grant has been a fixture at recent genre fests. 12 Hour Shift is a comedy horror movie about a nurse named Mandy who dabbles in organ smuggling directed by Grant. A mistake by her dim witted cousin by marriage turns what is already going to be a long night into a bloody mess.
12 Hour Shift is a pitch black comedy with horror elements. The story is expertly written. It is a classic case of everything that can go wrong, does. This can be a very difficult route to go. There is the risk of the audience getting tired of the escalating events.
That is never the case in Grant’s movie. Things do not just continue to worsen, they tie into each other. 12 Hour Shift is not just a series of random moments that are thrown together. Each moment builds into the next.
Another potential pitfalls avoided by 12 Hour Shift is how it manages to keep its jokes fresh (no pun intended). Even in the most zany comedy, as the jokes keep piling up, audiences may begin to tire of them. It is the law of diminishing returns playing out as it naturally would.
This is never the case here. Situations become more ridiculous and towards the end the stakes do rise. Still, there never is a sense of comedy overload. This may be because the set up, delivery, and punchline are not all delivered in the same scene. There is a gradual build to most of the jokes in 12 Hour Shift. This leads to more rewarding payoffs for those watching.
In a cast full of interesting characters and strong performances, Chloe Farnworth‘s Regina still stands out. Regina has a Chrissy Snow-like quality about her. She is a would-be suggest seductress who can also never get things quite right. The results of her mistakes are hilarious and are a constant driving force of the plot.
12 Hour Shift is a black as night comedy that is creative and entertaining. The clever writing never loses the audience as things get crazier as the titular work day continues. Entertaining performances and genuinely funny moments make this a fantastic watch.
