A Review of ‘Air Shift’: Awkwardly funny horror unfolds on the air
A murderer at large and a radio disk jockey find themselves confronted by peculiar intruders.
‘Air Shift’: Awkwardly funny horror unfolds on the air
Cast: Ashlee Lawhorn, Patrick Andrew Jones, Margarita Gamarnik, Alex Diehl, Donald Imm
Critic’s Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
Director: Chris Maes
Duration: 1 hour, 26 minutes
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Comedy
Language: English
Release: 2025
What’s it about?
A murderer at large and a radio disk jockey find themselves confronted by peculiar intruders.
Review:
If you are in the mood for a quirky horror flick, then you can’t do much worse than Air Shift. This new entry to the genre works in spite of itself for most of the time, but stumbles toward an all-too-convenient and less-than-satisfying conclusion. However, the darkly comedic tone along with some convincing make-up and copious amounts of blood, make this film appealing to its target audience. Though the droll humour offsets the morbid goings-on, the film could have done with more tension and suspense. Ultimately, a well set-up premise only partially pays off. Still, there is just enough gore and chills to keep the viewer engaged.
The film opens with a man (Patrick Andrew Jones) dropping off a dead body in the woods of rustic Virginia, claiming murder was his only option since “a relationship needs to grow” and “both parties need to be committed to that”. This odd rationale sets the tone for the movie. Next up, we meet devoted radio DJ Lisa Richmond (Ashlee Lawhorn) who is crestfallen to learn from her superior Dwight (Alex Diehl) that their station will have to shut shop as it is sitting on a nuclear waste site. To make matters worse, Lisa’s love life is on the rocks. While appealing to listeners for monetary pledges to buy another location, she unwittingly divulges personal information which lures the killer to her office.
On arrival, John Bowen’s affable and harmless demeanour transforms dramatically. Meanwhile, a nuclear waste removal team gets to work on the subterranean facility. But a bizarre turn of events actually leads to upstaging Lisa’s would-be killer John Bowen. What follows are strange creatures who begin converging on Lisa’s radio station. Will John have to rethink his agenda in light of the weird new development? To complicate the situation further, a fledging musical performer Sophie (Margarita Gamarnik) and her manager (Donald Imm) show up for an impromptu interview. The young lady’s live performances on air and the mellow quality of her voice and lyrics clash sharply with the macabre atmosphere.
Writer-director-and-co-producer Chris Maes endeavours to juxtapose scariness with lighter moments. But this kind of alternating of mood only enjoys occasional success. Still, Maes poses the question: does tongue-in-cheek complement blood-and-guts? John declares, “The normal train kind of left the station a while ago with me”, summarising the film’s theme, while also exemplifies the script’s offbeat dialogue. Plus, the movie briefly meditates on whether it is possible for a depraved soul to turn humanistic when up against a stacked deck. Also, the narrative’s fair doze of irony and absurdity help to keep the film afloat.
Maes’s well-populated cast could have done with a little more character-definition. While Lisa is well fleshed out, John lacks history and motive. However, the insecurities of media personnel comes to the fore and the mud-slinging between Sophie and Lisa rings honest and amusing. Also, Lisa’s idea to dispose of the nuclear waste is as outlandish as her co-worker’s plan for a foot-fetish business. The film’s cinematography suffers from an amateurish quality at times, but at the others, it is more effective. Thankfully, the editing shuns sensationalism for plausibility, though in this kind of movie, more of the former wouldn’t hurt. In conclusion, you don’t need to be an airhead to appreciate this Air Shift.
