Within the first few minutes of 12 Hour Shift, written and directed by Brea Grant (Heroes, Dexter), I already knew I was going to love the main character Mandy (the fantastic Angela Bettis). As a co-worker seems hellbent on pestering Mandy with irritating chit chat, she responds with the most savage side-eye imaginable. Even in this pandemic age of limited social contact, there are few among us who don’t cringe in recognition of such uncomfortable interactions.

Just when the conflict appears to de-escalate, Mandy has one more thing to tell her nosy co-worker: “Go fuck yourself.” It sets the tone for the rest of 12 Hour Shift, which is sardonic, hilarious and anything but light-hearted. As a night nurse, Mandy not only has to work a double shift but also has a pill addiction. Plus, she’s embroiled in an organ-harvesting scheme with her fellow nurse Karen (Nikea Gamby-Turner), so it’s not a surprise when the scheme starts to unravel throughout the double shift (and the film itself), primarily due to Mandy’s desperate, dim-bulb cousin Regina (played by Chloe Farnworth, dressed in the perfect attire for a 1999-set movie). The organ harvesting is the main attraction in 12 Hour Shift, but Grant’s film has unexpected layers that resonate.

Mandy might just be trying to get through the next 12 hours without losing her mind (or any more organs), yet Bettis provides amazing texture to the character. It’s fascinating to watch her shift from calculating to placating; it’s even more thrilling to see how Mandy seemingly fools the other characters. Her ability to turn on the charm might just be a way to calm down irritable patients or to disarm bumbling cops and security guards, but when an overdose patient shows up in the ER and turns out to be her brother, it appears that Mandy may have a wealth of compassion under her cranky exterior.

The slow reveal in 12 Hour Shift is a perfect example of “Chekhov’s Gun” (or perhaps “Chekhov’s Kidney”). Although the plot revolves around murders and murderers, it’s a genuine laugh-out-loud kind of movie (“Mmmm, Spurt” made me guffaw). Rather than being a cliched horror/comedy or just a series of fast-paced hijinks, 2 Hour Shift is more in the vein of movies like After Hours or Into the Night, in which bizarre and disturbing things happen. In the delirium of being sleep-deprived, they become hilarious.

The music, courtesy of Matt Glass, is remarkably flexible. Despite relying on the same dramatic motifs throughout, the composer still manages to elevate each scene, whether the mood calls for suspense, humor or irony. Glass also serves as the cinematographer, and it takes genuine skill to create a recognizable piece of music that fits any scenario, especially in a film that has such tonal shifts. 

Director Grant wisely eliminates doctors from 12 Hour Shift, which indicates how the night shift has become a parallel universe, sort of like “The Upside Down” from Stranger Things. In this world, characters break out into song or dance, and it seems not only acceptable but delightful. Cameo appearances by David Arquette (who co-produced the film) as a cop-hating felon and wrestler Mick Foley as the heavy add suspense and plenty of comic relief, but also reveal that the alleged male villains are not nearly as dangerous as the women they attempt to victimize.

As the debate rages on about whether strong female characters in movies should evoke admiration through heroism or just be flawed, human and sometimes downright unlikeable, it’s nice to see that Brea Grant created a film that’s full of different women. With 12 Hour Shift, Grant suggests that it’s ok to admire strong female characters who might also happen to be charming villains. 

Leslie Hatton (@theinsolent1) is a Fannibal, an animal lover, a music maven and a horror movie junkie. She created and managed Popshifter from 2007 – 2017, and also contributes to Biff Bam Pop, Diabolique Magazine, Everything Is Scary, Modern Horrors, Rue Morgue and more.