ReSet (2022) Review – A Fun and Feisty Low-Budget Time Loop Slasher
ReSet: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A surprisingly charming and spirited micro-budget slasher that manages to overcome its technical limitations through sheer personality. ReSet functions as a “Happy Death Day lite,” utilising a time loop premise to explore themes of incel culture and vulnerable narcissism with a refreshing sense of humour. While the film is plagued by standard low-budget pitfalls, including awkward pacing, wooden side-character acting, and a lack of traditional scares, it is anchored by two fun lead performances. Alyssa Corella is a revelation as the witty and resilient Danielle, providing a protagonist you genuinely want to see succeed, while Ben Barlow captures the pathetic entitlement of a “nice guy” villain with unsettling accuracy. It is a 3 star indie effort that respects its audience’s time and provides plenty of laughs along the way. If you can look past the rough edges of the opening scenes, you will find a fun, bite-sized thriller that punches well above its weight class.
Details: Director: David Sumner | Cast: Alyssa Corella, Ben Barlow, Janet S. Sumner | Runtime: 1h 22m | Release Date: 2022
Best for: Fans of the time loop sub-genre who don’t mind a lack of budget and those who enjoy seeing “nice guy” tropes dismantled in horror.
Worth noting: Despite the slasher setup, the film relies more on psychological friction and comedic timing than visceral gore, making it a relatively accessible entry for more casual horror fans.
Where to Watch: Amazon🛒, Tubi (Free)
Rating: 3/5 Stars
(Exceptional lead chemistry and a fun premise, but let down by early-movie awkwardness and technical flaws.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing David Sumner’s low budget time loop horror ReSet.
Highlights
Reset your expectations
We started watching ReSet and, naturally, immediately cringed a little bit. An opening flashback scene features some dreadful dialogue, all regurgitated by an elderly man who provokes a heated debate: “Does he lack more in years left on this planet or acting talent?”. I am not sure. It’s not very promising, to tell you the truth. Things aren’t quick to improve, either. The party scene that follows is both awkward and a bit silly, clearly suffering for a lack of extras.
“An opening flashback scene features some dreadful dialogue, all regurgitated by an elderly man who provokes a heated debate: ‘Does he lack more in years left on this planet or acting talent?’”
Our lead character Danielle (Alyssa Corella) dances away among a sea of apathy. Characters are out of sync, there is no music actually playing and people avoid the glare of the camera in much the same way that I do when a stranger is on a video call in a supermarket.
Corella’s competent dancing, low cut dress and swaying hair, afford her something of a main character in a Playstation 1 JRPG feel. It’s like most of the resources were dedicated to processing her slightly more elaborate animations, all while background NPCs repeat the same three movements. It’s jarring but exactly what you would expect from a movie like this. But we persisted.
Our girl is there to party and she isn’t put off by the lack of energy in the room or questionably aged students. Hell, even her best friend’s inconsiderate and unappreciative bitching can’t quash her mood. That’s when things begin to go seriously wrong.
Mr nice guy
It becomes clear, pretty quickly, that someone has spiked Danielle’s drink. They watched her shaking that ass on the err… dance patio? Decided they wanted a piece but knew they had no shot. Danielle wakes up in the bed of absolutely massive nice guy Edgar Lorne. This dude is huge. Played by Ben Barlow, he has to be about 6′ 3″ and 300lbs of pure meat. Danielle wants to know what is up. The nice guy claims to have rescued her from the party after her friends ditched her; he brought her back to his place and put her in bed. Not creepy at all!
This prompts Danielle to call bullshit. The windows are padlocked, the doors have keycode entry systems and Edgar is a seriously strange dude. Danielle demands her release only to be brutally murdered by Edgar. End of the movie, right? Well, nope. A vision of the afterlife and a chat with the now deceased, and still terrible at acting, relative clears things up. Danielle wakes up in the bedroom only to start the events all over again.
Happy Death Day lite
Am I spoiling too much here? Well, perhaps and I apologise if that is the case, but this movie does not give any hint of what type of film it is. I suppose the name gives it away. But the first thing my partner and I said when Danielle woke up again was: “Why didn’t the movie just say that it was Happy Death Day lite?”. We love movies like this. We adored Happy Death Day and its sequel. I am always up for time loop horror.
Again, being completely honest, there are issues here. Before we get into the pros we should talk about the cons. Sound production is lousy, the movie feels terribly low budget, acting can be wooden, some of the dialogue is a bit shit, and direction can be hit or miss here and there.
“The first thing my partner and I said when Danielle woke up again was: ‘Why didn’t the movie just say that it was Happy Death Day lite?’ We love movies like this.”
There are a lack of scares, there are a lot of mistakes like random lapel mics in shot and everything feels a bit cheap. But I expected all of those things before we actually started watching the movie.
An honestly fun watch
Despite this, the positives manage to outweigh the negatives here. The death loop cycle is fun and interesting. The movie is legitimately funny in parts. Sumner keeps you guessing with how Danielle will try to outsmart Edgar next and some of the references to incel culture feel particularly apt.
This is a movie with its finger on the pulse of a few specific social issues — namely that of men feeling like they are owed love. Sure, this is a bit of a played-out theme in recent years but Edgar’s constant self-pitying and sense of entitlement rings very true. Especially when considering young men with vulnerable narcissism.
While not being particularly scary, ReSet has some brutal kills, even despite the majority of violence happening away from the camera. Edgar is a big dude and Danielle feels incredibly diminutive compared to him. This affords her a real sense of vulnerability, at least until she starts outsmarting him — wisecracking, poking fun at him and challenging his very tainted world view.
It’s fun stuff. The movie managed to make me laugh on a number of occasions. Danielle’s witty retorts make for some comedic moments. Her seemingly otherworldly knowledge of Edgar and his house also offer up the opportunity for some hilarious reactions from Edgar. This brings me on to the next point.
Decent acting
Alyssa Corella and Ben Barlow are both excellent. Corella’s confident delivery and excellent comedic timing stand out, making Danielle a character who is, genuinely, easy to root for. She is never afraid to get physical, she has a range of expressions that belie her lack of actual movie acting experience, and Corella’s understanding of her character allows her to bring something a little more personal to Danielle.
“Alyssa Corella and Ben Barlow are both excellent. Corella’s confident delivery and excellent comedic timing stand out, making Danielle a character who is genuinely easy to root for.”
There were a few parts here and there where her enunciation was a little unclear. This is likely due to limited opportunities to reshoot, though.
Barlow was excellent, switching seamlessly between wannabe nice guy and mean, self-absorbed incel. He does a great job of capturing that very particular type of nastiness, oh so common in some circles of people. I, also, really enjoyed some of his reactions to Danielle. His shock when he thinks he has the upper hand, only to realise that Danielle knows something he doesn’t, is always comical. Great job.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Lead Chemistry: Alyssa Corella and Ben Barlow have a fantastic dynamic that carries the movie, making their repetitive cycle feel fresh and entertaining.
- Comedic Timing: The script is legitimately funny, with Danielle’s wisecracking nature providing some much-needed levity to the horror setup.
- Apt Themes: The critique of “nice guy” entitlement and incel culture is handled with more nuance than you might expect for a micro-budget slasher.
The Bad
- Early Awkwardness: The first ten minutes are genuinely difficult to sit through due to wooden acting and a clunky, music-free party scene.
- Technical Flaws: Visible microphones, poor sound production, and a total lack of extras make the film feel very unpolished at times.
- Weak Scares: If you are looking for genuine terror or suspense, you won’t find it here; the movie is far more of a dark comedy-thriller.
The Ugly: The NPC Syndrome. The background characters in the opening party scene are so static and out of sync they look like Playstation 1 animations repeating the same movements.
Should You Watch ReSet?
Yes, if you enjoy indie horror and are willing to forgive a rough start. It is a 3 star film that offers a fun, self-aware take on the time loop genre. Alyssa Corella is a standout talent, and the social commentary is surprisingly sharp. It is exactly the kind of movie that makes digging through the Tubi library worthwhile. Give it a shot – you might just be surprised.
Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight
Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.
A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.
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