Blood River

After The Devil's Chair, one could be forgiven for not wanting to bother with an Adam Mason film ever again. That wouldn't be the wisest course though, as Blood River is actually quite good. The seductively simple premise follows young couple Clark and Summer, heading to see her parents and announce her pregnancy. After a near fatal crash they land up in the deserted town of Blood River, wherein they make the acquaintance of chain smoking thoughtful hippie type Joseph. Here the fun begins, and I won't go too much into it but things pan out a little differently to how you might think. Now, with this kind of set-up, a film needs good actors and here the film shines. Ian Duncan is pretty handy as the at first cool but increasingly edgy Clark, a yuppie with a bit of a tweak to him while Tess Panzer is equally effective as the bright, pleasant and outgoing Summer. Andrew Howard really sets the film on fire as Joseph though, affability chased by shades of aggression, pulsing menace while drawling wisdom like a latter day seer. Once the three of them get down to interaction things never let up and they have mostly great chemistry, sparking off each other with tension steadily mounting. It's a slow burner with most of the excitement in the last half hour, but the film sets up its foundations well enough that things are fairly nerve rattling. The last half hour is where the film slips up though; it's hard to explain why without spoilers but basically, an important plot point is handled with a level of ambiguity that works against it. I'm all for ambiguity and films letting the audience figure things out for themselves, but here the shading of the point leaves the film morally at sea. Perhaps that was the intention, it certainly had me pondering it afterwards which is rarely a bad thing, but on the other hand I think this is a case where a more direct approach would have worked better. The film also comes into the problem at the end that (like The Devil's Chair), it really isn't as grisly as it should be. Sure there are a couple of good nasty scenes and things are pretty intense, but it misses a chance to really make an impact. Another complaint, though a smaller one is that at the beginning at least the film suffers from too much editing. The setting is wonderful and the cinematography sharp, so the short shot lengths are quite an irritation, they just don't do the location justice. Fortunately this either clears up or the drama covers it because I stopped noticing it after a while and an interesting atmosphere of hot, bleak isolation sets in. One last issue I had is that during some of the bigger dramatic moments the writing falters. Lines that seem a bit out of place or hammy, it brought me out of the film. Still, this is a good romp while it lasts, with Joseph standing out as a pretty fine effort to write an iconic character, some decent drama and a few gnarly scenes. It may lack a little in lasting punch and it has some niggling flaws, but I was pretty entertained throughout. Recommended if it seems like your sort of thing

Andrew Howard steals the show and I would never have guessed he is Welsh as he gives the Texan accent a new swirl and definitive performance par excellence.

Amazing photography, lush landscapes from the initial sweeping road quadcopter zoom to the abandoned hell town of Blood River, acting is great all round and the music and atmosphere is superb. Watch it and weep and maybe watch it twice as there is a lot in this that you won't take in first time round for sure!

A movie with depth and meaning that might be lost on some and a moral lesson for society and pretty current with what is happening all over the world to the little children!

Great movie; ranks alongside Dust Devil as my favourite desert scene horor mystery movie!

A couple driving through the desert crashes their car due to a blowout and are left stranded. They decide to head for a nearby town called Blood Creek to search for help and meet a mysterious stranger who calls himself Joseph.

The film is directed by Adam Mason, a man whose greatest skill is creating great looking films for very little money, and the film does indeed look great. Unfortunately, it lacks the creative touch that was very apparent in his previous work The Devil's Chair (which I gave a very high score). Indeed, the film feels uninspired and watching it is a bit like going through the motions.

This is a shame, because there is a glimpse of something great hiding within the religious angle that the film takes. I wish that this had been explored in more depth, but instead this is covered by clichés that border on parody.

By far, the worst part of Blood Creek is the characterization of the two leads; the man is aggressive and loud, the woman is passive and dripping with tears. This is the case from the get-go and only gets worse as the film goes on. I assume that this is somewhat intentional, but it crosses the line between believable human flaws and annoying caricature.

The best part is the performance of Andrew Howard as the mysterious traveler Joseph. While he does have the best material to work with, it is pretty clear that he is the one with the acting chops and he pretty much carries the film single-handedly.

Despite the good craftsmanship (cinematography and sound is great), I would recommend watching something else. While Blood Creek is not offensively bad, it presents a handful of moments of annoyance and leaves no lasting impression.

I was definitely let down by this film. This is partly my fault for having high expectations due to someone else's post.

The acting is decent enough to carry the film but I was longing for it to end. Was too unbelievable and predictable. The overall plot is a good premise but failed to execute. I was left watching the credits wondering why I watched this movie in its entirety. My only explanation is that I was hoping for some salvation at the end and my prayers were not answered.

I know everyone is a critic so if your like me, take the time to watch it but you will have been warned. Others here hype this into more than it is. Makes me wonder what there favorite horror movie is. This is another good B attempt at a good premise.

When I see a low budget production(that shows) with clever directing and writing, excellent acting and a touch of "new", I feel like sharing my opinion, because certainly it was a nice surprise. I picked it up at local video rental thinking it to be a stinker, or an exploitation film of some kind. What a surprise. A supernatural thriller, and one that, budget considered, delivers.

It works as a religious version of The Hitcher - actually, it seems like it was written by 80s icon Eric Red.

Acting by the not so large cast is way above average, my compliments to all of them. The actor who played Joseph was quite effective, he surely deserves more chances in the big screen. The girl was beautiful, and could act as well. The guy who played the husband also delivers effectivelly.

In a way, the direction has got a touch of Katryn Bigalow in After Dark - the film is pure 80s and I will probably look for more films of this group.

Alternative cinema is not totally lost. It seems to have found its way, when we see films like those. Guys, you did a good job.