The Toll (2020)

Directed by: Michael Nader | 78 minutes | horror, thriller | Actors: Jordan Hayes, Max Topplin, James McGowan, Rosemary Dunsmore, Thomas L. Colford, Sharon McFarlane, Jana Peck, Jess Brown, Sean Sullivan, Anthony Ulc, Daniel Harroch, Sarah Camacho, Madison Walsh, Pamela MacDonald, Katelyn McCulloch, Shaina Silver Baird

Paying tolls is downright annoying. It’s a strange thing to have to patch to gain access to a certain area. It is also an easy way to earn money, because detours are often not an option or because it is too time-consuming a process. It gets even worse if you can’t pay with money, but only with your life. Enter ‘The Toll’.

When Cami (Jordan Hayes) orders an Uber at night to get to her father, things quickly go awry. The rather clumsy driver is stranded with her in a dark forest. Did he hit someone now? It soon becomes apparent that there is a great danger in the forest. A deadly danger!

Director Michael Nader did not have a large budget available, but he did have a large forest. In this setting, the danger comes to the fore even more clearly. It is pitch dark and danger lurks everywhere. The setting is brilliantly chosen. The choice of an Uber driver is also good, because these people are not affiliated with a taxi association. Are they reliable and who chooses to transport a stranger in the middle of the night?

Once stranded in the woods, the film degenerates into a cross-pollination between ‘The Blair Witch’ (the forest), ‘Poltergeist’ (strange flying objects and bizarre sounds) and ‘The Strangers’ (masked figures appear scary, standing still for a long time). ). ‘The Toll’ is not original, but it is effective at times. The acting can go on and it’s clear that Nader really enjoyed making this film. He gets the most out of the setting and his cast.

Unfortunately, the script isn’t too good. More could have been taken from this film, so that the menacing atmosphere would really get under the skin. That does not alter the fact that this is a very enjoyable horror film that should have more atmosphere than filth.