Rogue River

"We won't keep you. I promise." Michelle (Page) is sitting by a river getting ready to scatter her dad's ashes when Jon (Moseley) shows up and tells her it's illegal. When Michelle finds her car missing she accepts an offer of a ride by Jon. After going to his house and meeting his wife she begins to regret her decision. This is another example of liking a movie based on your expectations. I really thought this was going to be low budget and cheesy and I have to admit that it wasn't that bad. It is still a B movie, but it's a higher B movie. I really can't say that this is a good movie but it was much better then I expected and Moseley is really creepy in this. I was a little disturbed at some of the scenes and found myself turning away in some parts, but overall this is really not a bad movie. Overall, nothing amazing but for a short horror B movie you could do much worse. I give it a B.

I actually really enjoyed this movie and I think the reason so many other people disliked it is because they had much different expectations of what the movie should be. Sometimes what really makes a horror movie messed up isn't the scary plot but the creepiness of the characters within and that's what I feel made this movie interesting. If you're a fan of horror movies with really odd characters then this movie is for you. The plot was not too special, although there were some decent shocking twists that really make your eyes widen. What really kept me invested in this movie was the extremely disconcerting characters which is something I love about horror movies like this one. If you're into horror that doesn't revolve around a supernatural plot and revolves around off-putting character relations and uncomfortable scenes like I am, then I would definitely recommend this movie. If you're easily bored by movies that don't have stellar plots with intense intricacy then maybe try something else.

ROGUE RIVER is one of those low budget horror films that feels like it has big aspirations. It wants to be the next big fear flick, the sort of film to have crowds flocking to theatres to get caught up in a thrilling journey into hell. Unfortunately it's an entirely predictable and routine affair, one that slavishly copies the plot of a dozen other movies (such as the Aussie flick THE LOVED ONES) while remaining singularly unsatisfying throughout.

The best thing ROGUE RIVER has going for it are some surprisingly decent production values, and effective cinematography to boot. Jourdan McClure certainly knows how to make his film look good on a budget, and there's none of that dodgy shaky cam editing to spoil things. The acting isn't too bad either; Michelle Page is a relatively likable heroine (until she starts making dumb decisions, that is) and Bill Moseley and Lucinda Jenney are quietly effective as the mysterious homeowners.

Unfortunately what sinks this is the calibre of writing, which just isn't up to much. For once I would like to watch a low budget horror film that avoids clichés, but I wonder if it will ever happen. There's the usual excursion into torture porn territory here (although thankfully nothing too distasteful), along with some extremely dumb character decisions in the second half that will make you despise the characters. I think of such moments as plot holes, designed purely to string a lacking plot out just a bit further, and they make ROGUE RIVER a disappointment.

A phonebook like note book would not be big enough to put down every movie title of films speaking of this kind of scheme. A lonely - or a couple - more or less lost in the wilderness and suddenly confronted to "evil" forces, peasants, man hunters, psychopaths of all kinds.... This movie is effective, not too long - and that's a good point when you have not that much to tell - and tense. I have never heard of the director nor the actors but the contrary would have surprised me. Not a pure horror film but instead a thriller with some horror accents. Many viewers crave for this kind of low budget films, precisely because the lack of budget let you focus on the settings, story, atmosphere...Things that CGI, most of the time, prevent you to do....

Let's see...where do I start? Let's start with what you're craving throughout the entire length of the film, character development. This is a basically non-existent element of the movie. The protagonist is unlikeable, a judgment which I base only on the first thing she says. The main reason why is because I actually have nothing else to go by. Her first impression is never redeemed, because her character never develops in the slightest. The only purpose of her existence is to be tormented and scream. And no, most horror protagonists are not necessarily like that. As far as the antagonists go, they do get more and more insane throughout, so at least something's happening.

There's no shortage of plot holes. I won't spoil anything (not that you'd care). But, I will say that even the motives of the kidnappers I feel were not fully explained.

Of course there's endless horror cliché's, but you're already expecting that. There are however some very creepy and original moments near the beginning.

I've heard people claim this is similar to Timber Falls (???). I honestly don't understand that at all. There's two scenes which bare a very slight resemblance to it, everything else is totally different. Those two scenes are not enough to accuse it of ripping off Timber Falls. Also, let's remember that Timber Falls is a much better film.

Ending on a positive note, the acting is pretty good actually. It has Bill Mosley of course. The other performers are quite good as well though.

4/10