A bunch of young, attractive female friends are stalked and killed by a supernatural killer known as The Drownsman. Some similarities to Freddy Krueger. Both have creepy basements and are able to drag victims into their worlds. Both have back stories, though Freddy's is far better. There's not a drop of blood here, it's pretty much watered down horror by today's standards (pun intended), though viewers with a fear of water or drowning may get more if a thrill out of it. Average in every department, 5/10 from me.
30 Reviews
I'm more afraid of a heavy downpour than of this movie.
peterp-450-2987167 October 2015
"Dabrowsky. During his speech. He called you the 'afraid of honor.' It sort of became the running joke of the night. Hannah did not find it funny."
Are you afraid of water or have another phobia when it comes to liquid substances, then perhaps it's wisely to ignore this film because this a rather soggy affair. Unfortunately, the whole spectacle largely fails. It ended up to be a disappointing slasher film (however it's only water that's splashing around instead of human blood). Most average, unoriginal horrors follow the well-known golden rules of this genre. Firstly, the main character always has ties to the menacing entity who makes the protagonists lives miserable. Secondly, there is of course no one who believes the main character. And third such a mainstream film is never fully resolved at the end. Believe me, "The drownsman" nicely obeys these rules.
Nevertheless, the opening scene looked promising and was imaged brilliantly in a certain way. The moment a young woman throws her head backwards while sitting in a tub and her long hair swishes water in the air with a perfect synchronous movement, was a moment that seemed to come straight out of a commercial for shampoo. Unfortunately, this highly aesthetically designed excerpt wasn't repeated during the rest of the film. It all looked extremely banal and ordinary. It wasn't really threatening or frightening. The way the victims kick the bucket, is downright lousy. Are you getting sick at the sight of blood, I can reassure you. There's not a spatter of blood to be seen here in this film. In fact the weapon used to vanquish the demon is something what actually isn't resistant to water. I thought a mop would be an appropriate weapon, so you could mop the villain away.
What bothered me the most, were Madison's (Michelle Mylett) three best friends. Three pedantic stupid chicks who, despite that they are furious about the fact that Madison has missed the wedding of her best friend, still are so kindhearted to help their friend with her nasty phobia. They ask Kobie (Gemma Bird Matheson), a medium, to help them out. She already has some experience with similar cases and according to her expertise it could be that they are dealing with a "haunting" ("Let's not call them haunting."). Eventually they use a fairly sadistic and extreme method to help Madison. They just immerse her in a bath. I think it would have been wiser to seek professional help.
As always I try to find something positive in a movie. The cause that created this wet demon, was a highly original idea. Also, the way it uses the medium water to move around, was not ill-conceived. And of course, the acting of Michelle Mylett was admirable. The way she portrayed the fear that came over her, during the appearances, was certainly praiseworthy. And the moments when "The drownsman" suddenly popped up, was reasonably successful but far from chilling. Unfortunately, these are also the only positive points I could come up with. The rest is just a storm in a teacup.
More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT
Are you afraid of water or have another phobia when it comes to liquid substances, then perhaps it's wisely to ignore this film because this a rather soggy affair. Unfortunately, the whole spectacle largely fails. It ended up to be a disappointing slasher film (however it's only water that's splashing around instead of human blood). Most average, unoriginal horrors follow the well-known golden rules of this genre. Firstly, the main character always has ties to the menacing entity who makes the protagonists lives miserable. Secondly, there is of course no one who believes the main character. And third such a mainstream film is never fully resolved at the end. Believe me, "The drownsman" nicely obeys these rules.
Nevertheless, the opening scene looked promising and was imaged brilliantly in a certain way. The moment a young woman throws her head backwards while sitting in a tub and her long hair swishes water in the air with a perfect synchronous movement, was a moment that seemed to come straight out of a commercial for shampoo. Unfortunately, this highly aesthetically designed excerpt wasn't repeated during the rest of the film. It all looked extremely banal and ordinary. It wasn't really threatening or frightening. The way the victims kick the bucket, is downright lousy. Are you getting sick at the sight of blood, I can reassure you. There's not a spatter of blood to be seen here in this film. In fact the weapon used to vanquish the demon is something what actually isn't resistant to water. I thought a mop would be an appropriate weapon, so you could mop the villain away.
What bothered me the most, were Madison's (Michelle Mylett) three best friends. Three pedantic stupid chicks who, despite that they are furious about the fact that Madison has missed the wedding of her best friend, still are so kindhearted to help their friend with her nasty phobia. They ask Kobie (Gemma Bird Matheson), a medium, to help them out. She already has some experience with similar cases and according to her expertise it could be that they are dealing with a "haunting" ("Let's not call them haunting."). Eventually they use a fairly sadistic and extreme method to help Madison. They just immerse her in a bath. I think it would have been wiser to seek professional help.
As always I try to find something positive in a movie. The cause that created this wet demon, was a highly original idea. Also, the way it uses the medium water to move around, was not ill-conceived. And of course, the acting of Michelle Mylett was admirable. The way she portrayed the fear that came over her, during the appearances, was certainly praiseworthy. And the moments when "The drownsman" suddenly popped up, was reasonably successful but far from chilling. Unfortunately, these are also the only positive points I could come up with. The rest is just a storm in a teacup.
More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT
With friends like these ...
parry_na2 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Madison has an acute fear of water, and worries that a vengeful spirit is coming for her. One of her friends admits to another that she has a mental problem. Probably best, then, that these 'friends' get together and create a mock séance and challenge any spirits to send a sign that they mean Maddie harm. When a definite sign is sent that harm IS meant, what is the next thing this group of geniuses decide to do? Carry on with the séance, and lower her into a tub of water – where she is grabbed by an unseen spirit that tries to drown her.
In the continuing face of her misery, more people – professionals, this time, and the father of a former victim – tell her her fears are all in her mind. Such stupidity gets instantly frustrating. The darkened creature known as The Drownsman thinks so too, and slowly he begins to attack Madison's group of friends.
The trouble is, due to his nature, The Drownsman dispatches all his victims in the same manner, so instead of his crimes being depicted as brutal and terrifying, they are rather more relentless and repetitive. Also, Maddie's extreme aqua-phobia clearly doesn't extend to an ability to wash herself – she, her clothes and hair are spotless at all times. It's impossible not to notice this.
This is a competently made, unambitious picture, content to model its scares on the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' franchise, with the titular fiend appearing to a group of intense young pretties mainly through their unconsciousness, always involving water. As the creature's success with claiming the young troupe continues, his original favourite Madison continues to evade him long enough to find out a little of the Drownsman's past; the 'terrible sick monster' was a rapist, who raped Maddie's mother, which resulted in Maddie.
There's a notion that The Drownsman might have been waiting for Maddie so she can take his place, but this is only vaguely hinted at before the credits come crashing in and, in all honesty, it's difficult to be overly concerned with a character (or characters) who spend most of the film's running time screaming instead of developing any discernible character.
In the continuing face of her misery, more people – professionals, this time, and the father of a former victim – tell her her fears are all in her mind. Such stupidity gets instantly frustrating. The darkened creature known as The Drownsman thinks so too, and slowly he begins to attack Madison's group of friends.
The trouble is, due to his nature, The Drownsman dispatches all his victims in the same manner, so instead of his crimes being depicted as brutal and terrifying, they are rather more relentless and repetitive. Also, Maddie's extreme aqua-phobia clearly doesn't extend to an ability to wash herself – she, her clothes and hair are spotless at all times. It's impossible not to notice this.
This is a competently made, unambitious picture, content to model its scares on the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' franchise, with the titular fiend appearing to a group of intense young pretties mainly through their unconsciousness, always involving water. As the creature's success with claiming the young troupe continues, his original favourite Madison continues to evade him long enough to find out a little of the Drownsman's past; the 'terrible sick monster' was a rapist, who raped Maddie's mother, which resulted in Maddie.
There's a notion that The Drownsman might have been waiting for Maddie so she can take his place, but this is only vaguely hinted at before the credits come crashing in and, in all honesty, it's difficult to be overly concerned with a character (or characters) who spend most of the film's running time screaming instead of developing any discernible character.
The Trailer lied to me!!!
madspike21227 June 2015
Warning: Spoilers
In all honesty when I saw the trailer I thought to myself this looks like a good movie. The concept was a nice idea and it certainly had a creepy vibe to it. Even when I started watching it I could see it was getting straight into the story. Yet that is only where it had my interest. From there on out.... It started to fall apart for me....
First of all the way the story unfolded was pretty poor. Like I said earlier the concept of the film was good though how they laid it out was pretty weak. Like how Anna gets so seriously angry about Madison missing her wedding since Madison gained a fear of water since she nearly drowned to death. If it was my friend, I would give them the benefit of the doubt as they nearly died and are somewhat traumatised. Yet no we shall play along with the fact her friends have had enough and want to help her by stuffing her in a tub of water. (I have seen so many therapies for this particular phobia work exactly how they did it). Anyway I digress. Its little things like this in the story that drive me a little mad as it just doesn't flow well enough for me.
Now you may say, well its a horror, the story is not meant to matter. Be there for the scares! Well sorry but b*ll*cks to that. I never got a single jump out of it. Not even my fiancée and she jumps easy, she ended up slumping over from boredom. Other than the fact the Drownsman looked like a runaway Orc from Lord of the Rings hoping to pursue a new career in Hollywood, his killings just did not do it for me. He just killed them like his namesake, which clearly the writer couldn't make exciting. Plus all of his attacks were very much the same. You knew when he was coming and even when he did all it was, was his bloody hand!
So as you can see I was clearly disappointed by this film and if you do care about the storyline you will be too. I only gave this film two stars as I still reckon the plot line of this film could have worked. So please avoid this and watch something more interesting. Like the steam off a pile of sh*t.
P.S. The worst quote of the film was Madison saying "To be honest, I didn't believe until today" which brings up many questions.
And the worst reaction is when Madison trying to save her remaining living friend. Pathetic!
First of all the way the story unfolded was pretty poor. Like I said earlier the concept of the film was good though how they laid it out was pretty weak. Like how Anna gets so seriously angry about Madison missing her wedding since Madison gained a fear of water since she nearly drowned to death. If it was my friend, I would give them the benefit of the doubt as they nearly died and are somewhat traumatised. Yet no we shall play along with the fact her friends have had enough and want to help her by stuffing her in a tub of water. (I have seen so many therapies for this particular phobia work exactly how they did it). Anyway I digress. Its little things like this in the story that drive me a little mad as it just doesn't flow well enough for me.
Now you may say, well its a horror, the story is not meant to matter. Be there for the scares! Well sorry but b*ll*cks to that. I never got a single jump out of it. Not even my fiancée and she jumps easy, she ended up slumping over from boredom. Other than the fact the Drownsman looked like a runaway Orc from Lord of the Rings hoping to pursue a new career in Hollywood, his killings just did not do it for me. He just killed them like his namesake, which clearly the writer couldn't make exciting. Plus all of his attacks were very much the same. You knew when he was coming and even when he did all it was, was his bloody hand!
So as you can see I was clearly disappointed by this film and if you do care about the storyline you will be too. I only gave this film two stars as I still reckon the plot line of this film could have worked. So please avoid this and watch something more interesting. Like the steam off a pile of sh*t.
P.S. The worst quote of the film was Madison saying "To be honest, I didn't believe until today" which brings up many questions.
And the worst reaction is when Madison trying to save her remaining living friend. Pathetic!
Too waterlogged with problems to succeed
Wizard-830 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
It's pretty obvious where director and co-writer Chad Archibald's inspiration for "The Drownsman" came from - the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies. However, in his defence he makes the evil force in this movie pretty original - I can't recall another movie involving a water-based supernatural force like this movie. But despite this original touch, the end results, while not terrible, don't really work. Despite all the water, the movie plays out in a dry and drab way - even the bland cinematography doesn't grab the audience's attention. The movie is too subdued, content to just hover around the mildly creepy part of the scare scale (at most, and not very often.) It's also really slow going at times. I think a reason why the movie is so bland is that the title figure is so underwhelming. We learn little about The Drownsman, and he simply doesn't get to do that much that might either interest or chill us. What the movie ends up being is a horror movie that's for the select few that don't like what the horror genre usually tries to give its audience.
The parts are decent, but put together the result is not great.
Finfrosk8618 June 2015
When I started watching this I was seriously considering giving up on it and watching something else. I checked my computer, surfed the web, not paying it full attention. (note, this is something I extremely rarely do) But it got hold of me just enough for me to watch it to the end.
(maybe I shouldn't have, it did not give me much)
The make up, the effects, the acting, everything is actually not bad, but the sum of it is just not very good, and not nearly entertaining enough. The story has it's kind of cool elements, but mostly it's not much to talk about.
The Drownsman is sort of like 'Nightmare on Elm Street' with water instead of dreams.
It's a shame this is not better, because I think it could have been pretty cool, had it just been.. better. And I can't really say what it is missing, either. I think it might have something to do with the premise. I don't want to spoil anything, but the parts happening in "the other place" didn't do it for me at all. Boring and uninspired.
I will say this though, good job to the actors! These girls must have been cold and wet a lot shooting this. Well done. Shame the movie isn't better.
(maybe I shouldn't have, it did not give me much)
The make up, the effects, the acting, everything is actually not bad, but the sum of it is just not very good, and not nearly entertaining enough. The story has it's kind of cool elements, but mostly it's not much to talk about.
The Drownsman is sort of like 'Nightmare on Elm Street' with water instead of dreams.
It's a shame this is not better, because I think it could have been pretty cool, had it just been.. better. And I can't really say what it is missing, either. I think it might have something to do with the premise. I don't want to spoil anything, but the parts happening in "the other place" didn't do it for me at all. Boring and uninspired.
I will say this though, good job to the actors! These girls must have been cold and wet a lot shooting this. Well done. Shame the movie isn't better.
This movies all wet.
avalonjoyous16 June 2016
I admit the beginning started out intriguing but after a scene involving a bathtub,a girl's fear of water, and some lame villain and hilariously bad attempt at using water as a tool to SCARE the viewer with I knew this movie was a loser.
The main actor was okay in the beginning , but then the movie kept going and her acting as well as the other ACTORS in this movie got worse and worse .
At least unlike the unneeded uninteresting cardboard characters she was at least...okay .
The end I won't ruin but I will say it was hilariously bad that's all really.
I thought this was gonna be SCARY...not the least bit.
I thought the villain would be interesting and creative ....none of the above.
I thought the PLOT would make sense ....No sense was made out of this film in any capacity whatsoever .
The special effects were unimaginative , the deaths were repetitive and hilarious, and the victims were some of the stupidest and useless victims I've seen in a while in a horror movie.
This isn't a horror movie either it's a HORRIBLE movie .
The main actor was okay in the beginning , but then the movie kept going and her acting as well as the other ACTORS in this movie got worse and worse .
At least unlike the unneeded uninteresting cardboard characters she was at least...okay .
The end I won't ruin but I will say it was hilariously bad that's all really.
I thought this was gonna be SCARY...not the least bit.
I thought the villain would be interesting and creative ....none of the above.
I thought the PLOT would make sense ....No sense was made out of this film in any capacity whatsoever .
The special effects were unimaginative , the deaths were repetitive and hilarious, and the victims were some of the stupidest and useless victims I've seen in a while in a horror movie.
This isn't a horror movie either it's a HORRIBLE movie .
Pretty soggy vehicle...
MrGKB3 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
for some wet-behind-the-ears actors and production crew, if you ask me, and that's about it. With higher caliber talent and some serious script-doctoring, this might--and I can only emphasize, might--have transcended its straight-to-video-purgatory nature, but alas! Blub, blub, blub! We're sailing the high seas of Sturgeon's Revelation here. A watery grave is all this leaky vessel riddled with plot holes can ever hope to achieve. Mercifully, the DVD has nary a featurette, promo or otherwise, and that's likely a very good thing; I'd really hate to watch these kids drown in self-effacing explanations for taking a paying gig. At least, I hope they got paid. They did, right? Right?
Burrrrrrger Shoes!
Krackoon29 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
So, yeah - even after watching the trailer, and solving the mystery of ''BURRRRRGER SHOES,' I still decided to go through with 'The Drownsman.' I mean, I love horror films, even the bad ones - but it's the horror films that serve no purpose, that really bother me. By serving a purpose, I mean - if a film sucks enough, like 'Troll 2,' you still have a few laughs - or if you're lucky enough to find a good horror film, well, the purpose is quite obvious. Which category does 'The Drownsman' fall under?
Neither. 'The Drownsman' is one of the most worthless horror films I've seen all year. The acting is your typical slasher style - Attractive women, who failed drama class, but will still end up being cast in upcoming horror films. The creature looks like something that came from a public restroom - you know, when you enter a public restroom, and you see the toilet full of crap? Yeah, he looks like that. His dialogue is also something of genius. It took me 20 minutes of research to realize he wasn't saying 'BURRRRRGER SHOES.' I'm not entirely certain what the guy is saying, nor do I really give a damn - but he sounds like he has downs - Hmm, wait a minute, 'The Downsman?'
Random Ramblings of a Madman: While the main character in this stinker suffers from hydrophobia - fear of water, I'm starting to develop a bad case of Crappyassmoviephobia, and 'The Drownsman' really set it off. I was done with this as soon as they started the bathtub séance. One of the more ridiculous scenes in recent memory. I mean, seriously - how does stuff like this get approved? This is the kind of film that Scott Weinberg would label as 'fun.' It's about as much fun as going to Tom Six's house for Thanksgiving dinner.
Neither. 'The Drownsman' is one of the most worthless horror films I've seen all year. The acting is your typical slasher style - Attractive women, who failed drama class, but will still end up being cast in upcoming horror films. The creature looks like something that came from a public restroom - you know, when you enter a public restroom, and you see the toilet full of crap? Yeah, he looks like that. His dialogue is also something of genius. It took me 20 minutes of research to realize he wasn't saying 'BURRRRRGER SHOES.' I'm not entirely certain what the guy is saying, nor do I really give a damn - but he sounds like he has downs - Hmm, wait a minute, 'The Downsman?'
Random Ramblings of a Madman: While the main character in this stinker suffers from hydrophobia - fear of water, I'm starting to develop a bad case of Crappyassmoviephobia, and 'The Drownsman' really set it off. I was done with this as soon as they started the bathtub séance. One of the more ridiculous scenes in recent memory. I mean, seriously - how does stuff like this get approved? This is the kind of film that Scott Weinberg would label as 'fun.' It's about as much fun as going to Tom Six's house for Thanksgiving dinner.
Solid Horror Flick Hurt By Some Plot Details...
stsinger24 May 2015
A solid horror flick that gets hurt because there are a couple of plot holes that you sort of can't stop thinking about.
The plot involves Madison, played well by Michelle Mylett, who falls into the water during an engagement party for her best friend and has a horrifying vision of some sort of monster.
Cut to a year later, and it turns out this event has given Madison an extreme case of aquaphobia, since she believes that every time she touches water the monster appears. Her friends try to to cure her of this fear but it turns out that it may be true, that she may be haunted by the spirit of Sebastian Donner, The Drownsman, a supernatural being who travels only in water...
The movie is solid. Good acting all around, The Drownsman is introduced to us in a well done prelude and is generally creepy all around. The film doesn't meander -- this is not one of those "50 minutes of meaningless exposition and then 1/2 hour of the actual movie" films. It gets going right away and doesn't let up. Couple of nice twists to keep interesting strong.
Biggest problem is a couple of plot details that are hard to ignore. First of all, Madison's aquaphobia is extreme -- she can't drink water (takes fluids through an IV), she can't leave the house if it's raining (causing her to miss her best friend's wedding in which she was supposed to be Maid of Honor), and just a drip sends her into a panic. And yet... she has spotlessly clean skin, clothes, and obviously recently coiffed and washed hair. I know you're supposed to just "go with it" and it's "only a movie," but when they take SO MUCH EFFORT into making her extreme aquaphobia be a major plot point and then she seems to have no problem washing herself... well, it's hard not to think about it all the time.
Same goes for the "missed wedding." Her missing the wedding is the catalyst for her friends trying to help, and the bride comes barging into the house still in her dress. But... the movie takes places in the two or three days after the wedding. No Honeymoon? No husband concerned about his new bride leaving him right after the wedding? Again, even with the "it's just a movie" it's hard not to thing about that.
Make the aquaphobia a little less overwhelming and eliminate the wedding and I suspect there will be a lot less eye-rolling. None the less, still a solid film and worth checking out.
The plot involves Madison, played well by Michelle Mylett, who falls into the water during an engagement party for her best friend and has a horrifying vision of some sort of monster.
Cut to a year later, and it turns out this event has given Madison an extreme case of aquaphobia, since she believes that every time she touches water the monster appears. Her friends try to to cure her of this fear but it turns out that it may be true, that she may be haunted by the spirit of Sebastian Donner, The Drownsman, a supernatural being who travels only in water...
The movie is solid. Good acting all around, The Drownsman is introduced to us in a well done prelude and is generally creepy all around. The film doesn't meander -- this is not one of those "50 minutes of meaningless exposition and then 1/2 hour of the actual movie" films. It gets going right away and doesn't let up. Couple of nice twists to keep interesting strong.
Biggest problem is a couple of plot details that are hard to ignore. First of all, Madison's aquaphobia is extreme -- she can't drink water (takes fluids through an IV), she can't leave the house if it's raining (causing her to miss her best friend's wedding in which she was supposed to be Maid of Honor), and just a drip sends her into a panic. And yet... she has spotlessly clean skin, clothes, and obviously recently coiffed and washed hair. I know you're supposed to just "go with it" and it's "only a movie," but when they take SO MUCH EFFORT into making her extreme aquaphobia be a major plot point and then she seems to have no problem washing herself... well, it's hard not to think about it all the time.
Same goes for the "missed wedding." Her missing the wedding is the catalyst for her friends trying to help, and the bride comes barging into the house still in her dress. But... the movie takes places in the two or three days after the wedding. No Honeymoon? No husband concerned about his new bride leaving him right after the wedding? Again, even with the "it's just a movie" it's hard not to thing about that.
Make the aquaphobia a little less overwhelming and eliminate the wedding and I suspect there will be a lot less eye-rolling. None the less, still a solid film and worth checking out.
Girls' fear of getting wet
quincytheodore2 May 2015
The Drownsman has a few nice concepts, while they might not be novel, these are still intriguing to some degree. It creates a good visual with simple use of water and contrasting light. The characters are predictable in their looks or bad decisions, yet surprisingly audiences could warm up to them. If there's anything that hampers the movie, it dives too much to the genre familiarities, to the point that some scenes are near identical with other horror flicks.
Madison (Michelle Mylett) has awkward accident as she slips in a pier and nearly dies from drowning. As she wakes up she is haunted by an entity that dwells on water. Things escalate as her friends try to perform faux cleansing and unwittingly share the cursed stalking. The movie protagonists consist of all female, almost like a sorority in jeopardy. Acting is decent overall, and it's good to say that the movie treats its cast with appreciation, it doesn't put them on bras and panties and splash some water on them, even though it has all the excuses to do so.
The lead Michelle Mylett is pretty good, although these girls can be interchangeable at times. The personalities don't stand out much, they are what audiences would expect from any horror films. You'd have the lead who is a victim and her skeptical friends, eventually they all run and scream the same. In fact The Drownsman borrows many other aspects from previous works like Final Destination or Friday the 13th. There's a random puddle, it may be a trap put by psychopath ghost to trip someone and brutally drown them.
Some of the scenes might not hit the mark, especially those which inspired by genre clichés such as ignored premonition or creepy warning by equally creepy characters. They come across as a tad silly, furthermore the logic isn't exactly neatly constructed. The antagonist might appear literally from a spill, but then again human body is mostly water, what if someone pees or does it have to be normal water. So many questions unresolved to plot holes.
While it's overly familiar and bizarre at some points, the movie looks good and it sprinkles enough mystery to pique audiences' curiosity, at least for a rental or movie night.
Madison (Michelle Mylett) has awkward accident as she slips in a pier and nearly dies from drowning. As she wakes up she is haunted by an entity that dwells on water. Things escalate as her friends try to perform faux cleansing and unwittingly share the cursed stalking. The movie protagonists consist of all female, almost like a sorority in jeopardy. Acting is decent overall, and it's good to say that the movie treats its cast with appreciation, it doesn't put them on bras and panties and splash some water on them, even though it has all the excuses to do so.
The lead Michelle Mylett is pretty good, although these girls can be interchangeable at times. The personalities don't stand out much, they are what audiences would expect from any horror films. You'd have the lead who is a victim and her skeptical friends, eventually they all run and scream the same. In fact The Drownsman borrows many other aspects from previous works like Final Destination or Friday the 13th. There's a random puddle, it may be a trap put by psychopath ghost to trip someone and brutally drown them.
Some of the scenes might not hit the mark, especially those which inspired by genre clichés such as ignored premonition or creepy warning by equally creepy characters. They come across as a tad silly, furthermore the logic isn't exactly neatly constructed. The antagonist might appear literally from a spill, but then again human body is mostly water, what if someone pees or does it have to be normal water. So many questions unresolved to plot holes.
While it's overly familiar and bizarre at some points, the movie looks good and it sprinkles enough mystery to pique audiences' curiosity, at least for a rental or movie night.
Mesmerizing Void!
chalyras14 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Absolutely loved the movie! Watched the movie yesterday and was totally mesmerized with the storyline because it can actually happen. Although the storyline can be interpreted in several ways; evil spirit on warpath, boy did not want to be born, rejection from mom, found a love and on warpath to find her. To me, the storyline is about a young man who has a longing to have a bond with his mother only to feel rejected and lashes out as a result. The way the movie ends is amazing! I love the costumes (Donner's of course), special effects. Hopefully, I am not the only one but would love for them to make second one to answer the questions. Keep up the great work!
Run of the mill (into the water)
kosmasp16 October 2014
This is your typical horror/slasher movie you get served here. A few good looking women (who are all friends), get haunted by something/someone. It's not really original, but it's entertaining enough to watch, if you lower your expectations enough. The physical aspect of the actresses work has to be stressed out, even though it shouldn't matter on your view of the movie in general.
The movie is also trying to give us something different every time we go into ... that other place. It's nicely choreographed and shot, if not anything else. It's predictable, but the tension is still there and you can watch it with a couple of friends as a party movie too.
The movie is also trying to give us something different every time we go into ... that other place. It's nicely choreographed and shot, if not anything else. It's predictable, but the tension is still there and you can watch it with a couple of friends as a party movie too.
Drowning to boredom
n-kefala6 July 2015
I liked the idea of this horror film and the first 30 minutes of The Drownsman were good. I actually thought that this time and this horror film would scare me. But then everything changed. The characters stopped being interesting, the dialogues started to repeated again and again, the story from horror turned to a bad comedy. Okay, I passed my free time, I had some laughs - not the ideal thing when you are watching a horror movie. If this is only what you want from a movie in general, then The Drownsman is the right choice for you. And something for the faint-hearted, don't forget to take your bath or drink lots of water before watching it!
A wasted enterprise
Leofwine_draca28 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
THE DROWNSMAN is another lame-brained female-centred horror film with a young cast, none of whom do anything interesting with their generic characters. A girl survives an unpleasant accident and develops a pathological fear of water, only to realise that said fear might stem from a near-legendary serial killer who was never caught. What follows is a string of attempted fright scenes which are laughable more than anything else, alongside a gloomy and dark atmosphere that does nothing for the viewer. The whole thing's a wasted enterprise.
'The Drownsman' couldn't scare the furry pants off a baby meerkat!
Weirdling_Wolf15 December 2020
'The Drownsman' (2014) is an interminably soggy, low budget, zero voltage horror film about the tepid, water-logged exploits of a rather grubby, permanently damp Andrew WK-looking freak who gets his nefarious jollies by drowning nubile young females which proved to be about as diverting as boiling an egg, but without the edifying sustenance. Even if you distilled the entire film down to a 2 minute horror shot, it wouldn't scare the furry training pants off a baby meerkat!
A totally messed up nonsense
Emily_Baines4 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The only one good thing about this movie is that it is not long, so you will not have to suffer long to finish watching it. Yeah, probably I could look at this film as a story of developing and overcoming a phobia, however, it obviously concentrates on cheap 'horror tricks' without even managing to use them in a correct way. It is not scary in a psychological way like the Mother! which fearful atmosphere is created by an enormous amount of stress the viewer experiences nor the tricks are working well like all those unexpected pop ups that give you a goosebumps in some Alien or The Conjuring, I don't know. This movie just wanders around between 'gross' scenes and perhaps it even tries to be 'deeper', but it's not even close to achieving this aim. Not to mention a plethora of logical holes, let me name you a few:
1. Anybody can visit anybody in a psychological ward? I mean, you just come in, say who you want to visit and nobody asks you about your identity, your reason for visiting and don't check if you have any potentially dangerous stuff with you. Of course not. What a shame.
2. The scene where all the girls come together to have some kind of spiritual seance is absurd, all the girls look as if the make-up artist and hair stylist were hiding just around the corner. Yeah, perhaps it is beautiful, but as this movie was not trying to be aesthetically distinctive, it's extremely unlogical.
3. Why did the light-haired 'witch' leave a washmachine full of clothing open? If you are going to do a laundry, then do it, it's ridiculous.
4. Taking a bag full of 'memories' from a mentally unstable man and leaving without even thanking him or saying goodbye. What a wise decision.
And I could go on and on about the 'I had known that you are depressed for a year but I act as if it all has turned up only now' or 'I leave the car with evidences and go home on foot and nobody investigates a mysterious dissappearence of 4 of my friends'.
Yeah, don't be me and do not expect neither entertainment from this cheap horror thriller nor a deeper meaning. It's blank and messed up. Even Halloween is better althought I didn't like it.
Pretty dreadful
Hayden-8605527 December 2020
The Drownsman is a very run of the mill horror film, complete with average actors, poor cinematography, bad storytelling and a naff monster.
Plot wise it's terrible, predictable unexciting rubbish. The actual monster looks like an Uruk Hai from Lord of the Rings and is completely tame. The music's dull and the actors have little energy for most of the film. On the other hand there's some okay emotional moments between the characters, and even if they're very cliché they play out alright and the acting is altogether passable, I've seen worse horror films.
2/10: Not altogether the most horrendous film I've ever seen but it is fairly grim and I do not recommend it at all
Plot wise it's terrible, predictable unexciting rubbish. The actual monster looks like an Uruk Hai from Lord of the Rings and is completely tame. The music's dull and the actors have little energy for most of the film. On the other hand there's some okay emotional moments between the characters, and even if they're very cliché they play out alright and the acting is altogether passable, I've seen worse horror films.
2/10: Not altogether the most horrendous film I've ever seen but it is fairly grim and I do not recommend it at all
Watchable Mystery/Horror
Pairic17 October 2019
The Drownsman: Madison has strange dreams after nearly drowning; a dark figure tries to drown her in a glass tank basement. Developing extreme hydrophobia she misses her best friends wedding, unable to leave her house due to rain. Her friends plan an intervention getting a psychic to perform a ritual, things backfire when the dark figure is summoned up. They now discover that he is the ghost of a actual serial killer who drowned his victims. The Drownsman is now out to slay Madison and her friends. Hands reach out of washing machines, a woman is dragged into a spilled water on a table and transported to the killer's lair. So-so effects with a few frights and a dark secret is revealed. Written and directed by Chad Archibald (Bite, Ejecta) who gives us a watchable horror mystery. 5.5/10.
Below average
aronharde28 December 2023
I remember seeing the trailer for this back in 2014 and being really hyped because it looked scary and unique. Now after all this time of finally watched the movie and I am severely disappointed. Not only is the acting not great, but also is the movie really generic for its rather unique premise. You have some hilarious and unbelievable deaths paired with a really dark setting and lots of screaming. However I liked the design of the Drownsman and the movie also manages to tackle the theme of aquaphobia with a certain believability but that is not enough to make it a great or even a good horror movie. [4,7/10]
Better than it should be
kannibalcorpsegrinder10 November 2016
Emotionally crippled from a traumatic experience, a woman and her friends attempt to cure the incident leads them to inadvertently resurrect a vicious supernatural killer who begins killing them off one-by-one and must find the connection to them to stop his spree.
Frankly this was a lot better than expected overall. One of the film's best strengths is the fact that this one really plays quite nicely in detailing the very real and somewhat plausible fear here that really could be possible and occur in the real world. Taking on the fear of water as it occurs here comes off as a very logical and realistic phobia that's well-played here with some far better scares than it really deserves as this one really plays with a common everyday occurrence only turning it into a more horrifying experience. That in turn gives this one some rather chilling scenes and encounters here with the initial accident forcing her fear upon her being a more than appropriate start to her fears, the encounter in the bathtub where they try to intervene on her behalf only to release the killer after them makes for quite a creepy and thrilling scene and the different encounters with her friends getting attacked and picked off one-by- one around her that this one gets plenty to like here with the abduction by the water faucet and the elevator ambush being particular highlights. As well, they give this one the setup needed to bring about the high-energy finale which is rather enjoyable as the different discoveries around his basement lair finding their floating corpses and the brawling needed to finally end him once and for all gives this one a rousing, chilling sequence that takes full advantage of not only the chilling setting but also featuring the nice action overall to give this a lot to like. Combined with the creepy look of the main killer who really looks quite chilling with the wetness of his body really combining well with the dreadlocks and the green, decomposing skin, there's quite a lot to really like here though it does have a couple of flaws present here. The film's biggest problem here is the fact that the killer might look creepy, but otherwise he's completely not threatening at all which is mainly due to him not really appearing here all that often. Though the film doesn't really have a slow pace at all, there's not all that many encounters with the killer to really get an idea of what he can do or what his powers are and they appear mainly to be simply just dragging people away through puddles of water. That alone is weak enough, but it also manages to be completely clueless about him or what he's after them for which manages to really make the mystery about him all the more obvious here with the utterly lame killing motivation once it's finally revealed to be the case which really makes for a really troubling killer. The other big flaw to this that really does tie into how lame the killer really is comes from the actual killing method, which consists of simply drowning people which is used throughout here and doesn't really deliver a shocking enough impression on the killer, and that all ties together into making him quite a lame villain. It's really the only thing that holds it back.
Rated R: Graphic Language and Violence.
Frankly this was a lot better than expected overall. One of the film's best strengths is the fact that this one really plays quite nicely in detailing the very real and somewhat plausible fear here that really could be possible and occur in the real world. Taking on the fear of water as it occurs here comes off as a very logical and realistic phobia that's well-played here with some far better scares than it really deserves as this one really plays with a common everyday occurrence only turning it into a more horrifying experience. That in turn gives this one some rather chilling scenes and encounters here with the initial accident forcing her fear upon her being a more than appropriate start to her fears, the encounter in the bathtub where they try to intervene on her behalf only to release the killer after them makes for quite a creepy and thrilling scene and the different encounters with her friends getting attacked and picked off one-by- one around her that this one gets plenty to like here with the abduction by the water faucet and the elevator ambush being particular highlights. As well, they give this one the setup needed to bring about the high-energy finale which is rather enjoyable as the different discoveries around his basement lair finding their floating corpses and the brawling needed to finally end him once and for all gives this one a rousing, chilling sequence that takes full advantage of not only the chilling setting but also featuring the nice action overall to give this a lot to like. Combined with the creepy look of the main killer who really looks quite chilling with the wetness of his body really combining well with the dreadlocks and the green, decomposing skin, there's quite a lot to really like here though it does have a couple of flaws present here. The film's biggest problem here is the fact that the killer might look creepy, but otherwise he's completely not threatening at all which is mainly due to him not really appearing here all that often. Though the film doesn't really have a slow pace at all, there's not all that many encounters with the killer to really get an idea of what he can do or what his powers are and they appear mainly to be simply just dragging people away through puddles of water. That alone is weak enough, but it also manages to be completely clueless about him or what he's after them for which manages to really make the mystery about him all the more obvious here with the utterly lame killing motivation once it's finally revealed to be the case which really makes for a really troubling killer. The other big flaw to this that really does tie into how lame the killer really is comes from the actual killing method, which consists of simply drowning people which is used throughout here and doesn't really deliver a shocking enough impression on the killer, and that all ties together into making him quite a lame villain. It's really the only thing that holds it back.
Rated R: Graphic Language and Violence.
Little bit impressed.
Patient44411 June 2015
Let me start by saying: how on Earth can this movie be only 4.3 on IMDb?!? Seriously, it's a lot better and I do mean, a lot!
We have movies like Ouija, like The Unborn and so on, that are in my opinion, weak productions, yet they manage to get so much attention, even develop a small fan club. Then we get the better ones, that go completely unnoticed, and I fear, The Drownsman might not be on so many lips as the previous ones I just mentioned.
So here I stand, trying to make this little horror more popular, cause it does deserve a wider audience. The cover did trick me into believing that I'm up for another low budget film, but as it started, with the occasional clichés here and there, The Drownsman is quite the nice surprise, far better than say, We Are Still Here. I think around 15 minutes it's all it takes for it to get your attention, after that, you'll enjoy the ride.
Therefore, give this one a try and maybe even recommend it to a friend who is into horror. Let's face it, you can do a lot worse than this one!
Cheers!
We have movies like Ouija, like The Unborn and so on, that are in my opinion, weak productions, yet they manage to get so much attention, even develop a small fan club. Then we get the better ones, that go completely unnoticed, and I fear, The Drownsman might not be on so many lips as the previous ones I just mentioned.
So here I stand, trying to make this little horror more popular, cause it does deserve a wider audience. The cover did trick me into believing that I'm up for another low budget film, but as it started, with the occasional clichés here and there, The Drownsman is quite the nice surprise, far better than say, We Are Still Here. I think around 15 minutes it's all it takes for it to get your attention, after that, you'll enjoy the ride.
Therefore, give this one a try and maybe even recommend it to a friend who is into horror. Let's face it, you can do a lot worse than this one!
Cheers!
WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING RADICAL
nogodnomasters22 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The film opens with Isabel Heller (Katie Nicole Evans) killing the Drownsman (Ry Barrett) aka Sebastian Donner. Okay film over. Not quite. Later, Madison (Michelle Mylett) has a near drowning incident in a lake where she sees the Drownsman, and develops an unnatural fear of all things liquid, yet manages to stay clean. Her friends decide to help, but end up unlocking our villain who moves between dimensions and emerges from water, reminding me of a cross between a no personality Freddie and Ghost Shark.
Madison must solve the horror mystery as her friends disappear.
The film is a decent horror film with a bad guy that could have been better. Michell Mylett gave a good performance down to the nervous cracking in her voice. She should be doing more than B horror and is clearly better than her support cast. Worth a view for horror fans. Should be watched by candlelight in a bathtub.
Guide: No sex or nudity.
Madison must solve the horror mystery as her friends disappear.
The film is a decent horror film with a bad guy that could have been better. Michell Mylett gave a good performance down to the nervous cracking in her voice. She should be doing more than B horror and is clearly better than her support cast. Worth a view for horror fans. Should be watched by candlelight in a bathtub.
Guide: No sex or nudity.
Definitely better than average scary movie
tohkwongweng12 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Why all the poor scores? Having watched a lot of very average scary movies I didn't know what to expect with this one and I must say this was refreshing to watch. Whilst not over the top scary it was far from lame. I found the concept of a serial killer who kills by drowning his victims, all he needs is as little as the smallest puddle of water, original. The better scary movies always have a twist here and there, and the first twist came (about 45 minutes in) just after the girls went to visit the killer of the Drownsman in his mortal form. I didn't expect it but everything made sense after that. With a lot of scary movies I'm always asking myself wtf at the end precisely because nothing made any sense but this one wrapped it up nicely. Also the ending was good enough. Just when we think the Monster is dead HE ISN'T. 7.5/10
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