There is a great deal of narration at the beginning of “Tooth and Nail” that provides us with an explanation of the setting. Less than a decade from now, the world runs out of gas, which creates a chain of effects that eventually leads to the death of most of Earth’s population. What does all of this concentration about the lack of gas have to do with the rest of the plot? Absolutely nothing.

This post-apocalyptic atmosphere almost feels secondary to the message the filmmaker is trying to get across. To punch you in the face with the gas philosophy even more, almost all of the characters are named after automobiles. In case you weren’t sure if you were hearing those properly, writer/director Mark Young made sure that each character started their dialogue with the name of the character they’re talking to.

Sadly, this isn’t the only repetitive motif in this film. He should have spent a little less effort with character names and a touch more effort into the look of the film. Each camera setup looks the same as the next. There is no real movement in this film, as the camera just points and shoots. Stationary shot after stationary shot; nothing to separate this movie from something done for television.

The action takes place inside an old hospital where a group of survivors attempt to build a new life. When a trio of them search the outside world for supplies, they stumble upon Neon, a woman (cleverly named Neon) who was just attacked by crazy man with a sickle (Vinny Jones). And though the group barely has enough food and supplies to for themselves to live too much longer, they decide to bring her in as one of their own.

It’s right around here when various members of the team begin disappearing. Each night, a group of crazy cannibals dressed like rejects from Medieval Times infiltrates the hospital to grab some meat. They only like fresh meat too, so instead of taking the whole group at one time, they only grab one a night.

There is nothing terribly original about this film. As you get to know the group individually, it quickly becomes clear who’ll get killed and who won’t. Their characteristics are all too familiar also. Why do all of these apocalyptic groups have to be the same? For once, I’d like to see something new. How about throwing a deaf girl in there for some originality?

“Tooth and Nail” is part of the After Dark Horror series and like many of the other films under this label, it’s just as forgettable. You have to admire their dedication to the genre but fault them for their attempt. They find these films lacking distribution or cycling through the festival circuit. If only they looked harder.