"Spiker" is a highly enjoyable and satisfying slasher with a lot going for it.

**SPOILERS**

Arriving at Westhaven Institute, Sheriff Paxton, (Lou Martini Jr.) and Deputy McLean, (Michael Fedele) survive the escape of serial killer Adam Brandis, (Frank Zagarino) a notorious madman who cut up victims with railroad spikes. Hoping to find the body, he enlists a search party to find him, giving friends Lisa Shaw, (Giselle Rodriquez) Michael Wardell, (Matthew Jared) Nikki McLean, (Ginger Kroll) Charlie Quartermain, (Josh Folan) Erin Cole, (Linda Tovar) and Gary Loman, (Adam Shonkwiler) the idea to get together at his house for a séance in order to contact him. Once arriving at the house, they begin to party despite being warned away by caretaker Clive Grendel, (David Fralick) but when the supposedly-dead killer turns up and starts killing them, the group resorts to extreme measures in an attempt to get away alive.

The Good News: This one had a lot of good stuff going for it that helped it. Despite what's mentioned later, the way the plot to this one unfolds is quite good and really enjoyable, which is what's really important in these kinds of films. From the dialog conversations that are an implication of what's to come, along with the different letters that are found which give a more detailed explanation, as well as the final revelation late in the film, this one does a good job of spelling out a rather lame explanation so as to make it feel somewhat-more enjoyable. As to be expected, there's a lot of rather good confrontations in here that are quite nice. From the first one out in-the-woods, bolstered by the sex-scene and the ensuing hide-and-seek played before the true encounter, as the clanging metal-spikes in the distance, the gradually-closer-footfalls and the sudden shock appearance, as well as the chase through the woods down to the train-tracks is great, and it gets one of the most suspenseful scenes for a follow-up, as the now-bleeding victim crawls up behind unsuspecting characters, and the moment of anticipation as to whether they'll be discovered or die beforehand is first-rate. Once trapped in the house, the rest of the scenes are just golden, from the barricade in the bedroom and the entrance attempt, the confrontations with the police stumbling upon the scene and the later walk-through with all the bloodied bodies strewn about in odd locations waiting around for the scene to play-out is great. The girl as she goes by herself through the house and doing the re-discoveries are just as good, and most of the time there's a difference to them that doesn't make it seem like a retread of the earlier scenes, and that's always appreciated. The finale in the woods, from the brawl to the car-chase and stalking in the woods as well as the final encounter along the train-tracks is really great, and ends on a great note. More action is also provided by the killer's initial escape, which is really great. The reviving sequence is really good, the shootouts are great fun, and the final sequence just makes for a great capture as the whole scene is done well and shows some creativity. Also of note is the atmosphere in here, which is much more than expected in such a film, but is still nicely appreciated anyways. The first time through the house, from the dusty and disused appearance to the sense that something creepy is going to come along at any time is what makes it so good. The séance is really nice, with the out-of-body experience coinciding nicely with the visions of the ghost walking around, a common trend that is brought up later in another rather creepy sequence. A mini-scene out at the family burial plot makes for a rather fun time, since it also introduces the main plot as well. It's also nice to have a fearful killer in here, and with the choice of weaponry, clanging-together habit and overall appearance, that's accomplished here. The last plus is the film's blood and gore, which is really good. From the spikes impaled or rammed into necks, heads, shoulders, stomachs and faces, sometimes singularly and sometimes in double-penetration, it gets very bloody. These here work for the film.

The Bad News: There wasn't a whole lot here that didn't work. Perhaps the biggest issue here is the fact that this has one of the most ludicrous and inane reasons ever in order to have the killer go on the rampage, since this is an everyday affair that occurs to a lot of people, yet here it's believed that it causes an ordinary person to go on a psychopathic killing spree. That just doesn't register at all and has very little cause to make the killer someone to fear. It gets points for the creativity, but the actual execution falls way short. The film also needed to make up its mind as to whether or not it was a supernatural-based film or a regular film, since this one plays in both areas. The beginning of this, especially all the dealings with the ghost, feel goofy when the very human killer appears due to the contrast of mood and tone that occur. The last flaw to this one is the film's séance scene, which is completely clichéd and begins with the usual mocking and disparaging remarks that occur in just about every single one of these films when it gets to that scene, and it's really a shame that it had to go that route here as well. These here are the film's problems.

The Final Verdict: A highly enjoyable and entertaining slasher, with a lot of features that are required for the genre present, makes this one of the better entries. Recommended for hardcore slasher enthusiasts, those who are interested or fans of the cast, while those who aren't should heed caution.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity and a Sex Scene