Chelsea and her punk friends are hiding from the police in a secluded cabin, but an unstable ranger is willing to protect his forest at any cost.
Taking heavy inspiration from 80s slashers, the premise of The Ranger is simple enough. There are a handful of reasons a group of young people head to a cabin in the woods, and in this case, they’re hiding out after one friend attacks a cop while getting busted for drugs. Having spent time in her childhood heading up to her uncle’s cabin, it seems like the best place to lay low and do some drugs.
It does not take long to realize that many of these characters are absolutely the worst, and the audience is more than happy to root for their inevitable demise. That is part of the appeal of many classic slashers, but it is also a fine line to walk. Characters should be obnoxious enough that you enjoy seeing them picked off, but not so unbearable that you stop enjoying the movie before the killer catches up with them.
Part of what is so much fun is the characters leaning into their labels a little too much. Part of punk culture has always been a ‘stick it to the man’ mentality, which is perfectly interesting and respectable, but pulling out knives on friends and stabbing cops pushes things well past the breaking point. On the flip side, we all love us a Ranger who is keeping watch over the forest and protecting nature…but without spoiling things too heavily, the title character takes things to the extreme. Smokey the Bear may feel strongly about preventing forest fires, but even he has a hard limit.
Directed by Jenn Wexler and written by Wexler and Giaco Furino, The Ranger benefits from the remarkable attention to detail poured into its world-building, creating a vivid and thoroughly entertaining slasher. From the lead character Chelsea’s pink hair to the costumes and even the van they drive up to the mountain in, all these amazing design details create a vivid and distinct world. It has an 80s punk vibe but still feels fresh and new. On top of that, the absolutely killer punk soundtrack sets the vibe early in the film. As the movie progresses, you’re not sure if you should be afraid or join a mosh pit.
The actors balance each other well. Chloë Levine’s understated performance of Chelsea helps anchor some of the campier moments. She’s a final girl, but she manages to fall out of some of the tropes you sometimes see traditional final girls often embody. She’s smart and observant but also has a traumatic backstory that slowly reveals itself as the film goes on and gives additional depth to her character. Jeremy Holm as the Ranger manages to both lean into the 80s villainy while being grounded enough that some of the punchlines and campiness feel completely normal. Levine and Holm have terrific chemistry, and some of the film’s best moments come from their interactions.
With a runtime of only 80 minutes, there’s no time for excess fat. The actors have to work to show us who their characters are without always having a lot of time or dialogue to back it up. They all do an exceptional job. The entire cast feels natural in their parts when it would be very easy to go cartoony with their portrayal. Even without being given a lot of time to build on, they feel like fully formed and flawed characters. Even the ones we like don’t always make good decisions, but then again, who doesn’t when they’re young?
Though not fully a traditional slasher, any lover of the 80s and the genre should check out The Ranger. It’s a perfect watch for a summer night with your friends. It’s well-paced, has interesting characters, a fabulous soundtrack, and just the right amount of humor to keep it fun. It may not be scary in a more contemporary sense, but not everything needs to be. In a horror landscape increasingly dominated by muted colors and dour scores, The Ranger is a reminder that slashers can still be colorful, loud, and wildly entertaining.
The Ranger is available to stream on multiple platforms, including Shudder and AMC+.
