The sixth feature film from modern horror auteur Mickey Keating, Offseason is an attempt at a Lovecraftian horror film with a promising premise that unfortunately slides into predictability. Keating usually brings a unique vision to horror, providing artsy grindhouse aesthetics and dreamlike set pieces that audiences don't always find in the genre. Offseason may be the first time Keating has actually faltered, delivering a movie that feels too polished, lacking the sleazy charm that usually ignites his work. The story also feels unfinished, like several scenes were cut to shorten the film's runtime. Offseason definitely had potential, but the finished product feels like a detour from the original horror romps Keating usually delivers.

Offseason follows Marie Aldrich (Jocelin Donahue), who travels to an isolated island in order to investigate the vandalization of her mother's (Melora Walters) grave. Accompanied on the trip by George (Joe Swanberg), Marie starts to learn the disturbing truth about the island where her mother grew up. After becoming separated from George and stranded on the island, Marie will have to fight for survival against the ghostly townsfolk and a decades-old curse.

RELATED: REVIEW: Blumhouse's Torn Hearts Awkwardly Mixes Country Music and Horror

Shudder Offseason Still

Offseason seems to have a larger budget than Keating's other films, but it also lacks the same soul as his earlier work. The story starts off intriguing, backed by an ominous tension. However, the film is a slow burn that doesn't really end up paying off. About a quarter of the way through, Marie and George get into a car accident, and Marie is left alone, wandering the island in what starts to feel like a random film adaptation of Silent Hill. Some nice tension is built in the film's first 25 minutes but dissipates as soon as the narrative switch happens. It's like the story goes back to square one again, and everything that was earned in the beginning has been wiped clean. Sadly, the film never regains its tension, with the rest of the movie feeling underdeveloped.

On a positive note, the scenery is easy to get lost in as Marie explores the gloomy yet oddly serene island. The cinematography and overall production seem to be a bit of an upgrade for Keating and enable the viewers to feel trapped in the film's location, just like the protagonist. However, Keating may have upgraded when it comes to production value, but the content of the film suffers as a result. It seems all the effort went into making this thing feel grand, causing the final product to end up hollow.

RELATED: Unhuman Delivers a Horrific, Zombified Twist on the Breakfast Club

The performances are all solid, with Walters standing out as Marie's bedridden mother, appearing in flashbacks. Donahue, who has become something of a scream queen after starring in Ti West's House of the Devil, does a good job of carrying the film. In scenes of Marie wandering around the unfamiliar island, Donahue conveys enough emotion to pull viewers through till the end. The biggest issue with the film's screenplay is its simplicity. The story is redundant but could have been filled with enough interesting set pieces to be more memorable. However, everything plays out predictably, offering little original to the table, which is a big surprise considering who directed the film. There are chances here to display horrific body horror, as well as scary scenes featuring the mysterious townspeople, but none of these opportunities are taken.

Offseason is watchable, but it's an 80-minute horror film that goes exactly where one would expect it to go and never offers anything truly nightmare worthy. It feels safe, even though Keating is a filmmaker that usually isn't afraid to take chances. The film looks polished, and all of its actors are game, but unfortunately, Offseason delivers only predictable scares.

Offseason will be available to stream exclusively on Shudder on June 10.