Blood River (2009) User Reviews

It's OK

[mcdharma · 4/10 · 1 December 2009]

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.

meh.

[DiscoViolento · 3/10 · 26 October 2014]

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.

Title doesn't do it justice in my opinion

[bowmanblue · 7/10 · 26 December 2014]

The title conjures up images of some cheesy slasher flick, but Blood River is anything but. I've rented a few (well, more than a few) horror titles in my time with the word 'Blood' in the title. It seems to say a lot about the film, i.e. filled with gruesome deaths and maybe the odd rubbery monster thrown in for good measure.

However, Blood River definitely doesn't fit into those categories. At the beginning, I didn't like it. It starts off with the obligatory couple driving through the deserted deserts, only to come across the one wandering lunatic hell bent on making your final hours a living hell. It all sounds pretty average, but it's worth sticking with. Its one down point is that it is a little longer than your average horror film and most of the first 1h 15 minutes is spent watching three people in one location, having various conversations about all sorts of supposed deep and meaningful issues.

That was how it starts. It doesn't pan out quite so obviously though. Without going into too much detail, it has a few surprises along the way and Andrew Howard deserves a special mention as the 'stranger' Joseph who the unsuspecting couple meet.

Give it a watch if you want a 'horror movie that contains plenty of talking points.' However, the 'talking points' may also serve to be a bit of a let down. Not everything is totally explained and wrapped up neatly, leaving some questions which will be up to your interpretation afterwards.

Blood River is one of those movies where you could show it to four different people and be given four totally different opinions to its merits and meanings.

Superlative mystery thriller

[omendata · 7/10 · 5 May 2020]

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!

Dark and pretty decent desert set slow burner

[Bloodwank · 7/10 · 24 November 2010]

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

Gritty, and dirty, but manages to be breathtakingly beautiful at the same time.

[Strawberry_Typhoon · 9/10 · 24 June 2010]

Adam Mason has quickly become one of our favorite directors at The Liberal Dead. He has an uncanny ability to take next to no budget, and create something that will blow your mind. "Blood River" is his best film to date, and a true cinematic masterpiece. The story follows Summer(Tess Panzer) and Clark(Ian Duncan) as they travel across the desert to tell Summer's parents that she is pregnant. A car crash that follows what I would say is the most interesting piece of film ever dedicated to a tire blow out, leaves them stranded. The film is set in 1969, so it's not quite as easy as just pulling out their iPhone and calling AAA. Clark, and Summer head out on foot to the nearest town, "Blood River". As the couple arrive, not only is there a cow carcass laying at the entrance to the town to greet them, but there are various skeletal remains scattered across the grounds, and nothing much else. It's completely abandoned. Soon, we're introduced to Joseph(Andrew Howard), who is seen from the distance, appearing out of nowhere. It's made immediately obvious that there's something not right about Joe, but they are so desperate for help at this point, that they're willing to overlook his quirks. Leaving Summer behind, Joseph, and Clark head off into the desert, in an attempt to salvage gas from the crashed car, and siphon it into Joseph's car. This is basically the top of the coaster. It was great up until this point, and the ride just gets better from here.

The cinematography in this film is nothing short of amazing. Ingenious camera angles, coupled with a gorgeous backdrop, and some stunning helicopter angles makes this Mason's most visually appealing movie to date. I really felt, from start to finish that this film should have gotten a wide theatrical release. Mason had a budget of $250,000 to finish this film in a time span of 18 days, so the end result is even more stunning.

"Blood River" isn't a gorefest, but I think it will still appeal to that demographic. It's raw, gritty, and psychologically brutal. Another thing that made me happy was the fact that it doesn't spoon feed it's plot to the viewer. It definitely knows the message it wants to portray, but it leaves a lot of it up to the viewer to decipher. It's rare that a filmmaker gives the audience this kind of credit, instead of insulting our intelligence with flash cut scenes to make sure we got the subtlety. "Blood River" is not like this, it's intelligent at it's core, and it assumes that those watching it are as well.

The acting is superb across the board, but Andrew Howard in particular puts in a powerhouse performance. He's done an amazing job in past films with Mason, but this performance alone put's him at the top of my list for genre favorites. From the moment that he is introduced, until the last frame, Howard is cool as hell.

The atmosphere created is astonishing. It's gritty, and dirty, but manages to be breathtakingly beautiful at the same time. The setting is on a far grander scale than Mason's previous work, spanning across what seems to be a vast desert wasteland, but it still manages to keep a strong level of isolation.

"Blood River" is not an easy film to slap a label on. While it will definitely appeal to fans of the horror genre, fans of really solid dramatic, psychological thrillers will be in for a treat as well. It blends genres seamlessly, and is most definitely Mason's most marketable film to date. For fans of His previous work, such as "Broken" and "The Devil's Chair", don't worry, this movie was made for you as well. It's not a cookie-cutter thriller, and it demands the audiences attention. You're not going to be spoon-fed anything, you're going to have to turn your brain on for this one.

The film is currently available in Germany, has just been listed for pre-order in the UK, and if I'm not mistaken, there will be an announcement shortly about Canadian distribution as well. Unfortunately, there is currently no details available for a US release date for the flick, so if you have some pull at a studio, watch this flick, love it, and make Mason a big fat offer for distribution, you won't regret it.

http://www.liberaldead.com

Hard to decide

[aqos-1 · 7/10 · 28 December 2009]

This is a movie that I think you will either completely love or completely hate. There is a lot of psychology involved. It made me reflect on what sins I have committed and whether one sin is worse than the next. In the movie a couple sets out on a journey. They pass a hitchhiker and refuse to give him a ride. Further in the movie, their car breaks down. They walk to find the nearest town and find it abandoned. Eventuall the hitchhiker shows up and tells them that if they can siphon gas from their car, they car get his car going. From here the relationships among the three take many different turns and by the end, you're not quite sure who did what or if it was all just a trick of the mind. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure it's for people that are not into dissecting the hidden messages in movies.

mixed feeling for this movie

[atinder · 5/10 · 21 April 2013]

Blood River (2009)

This movie as been on my watch list for so long.

This movie is about Clark and Summer, a married couple and Summer is newly-pregnant, and Clark is worried that her father will be critical of him.

Along the way, their car has a blowout and Clark is sure that he put spare in the boot of the car.

It's start of really intruding but the next 45 of minutes, were very slow burner, with nothing much happens and talking to one and other,

When it getting really boring, I was thinking to turn it off ,after that but I am clad I didn't!

The last half hour, were it's really pick up again and more things start to happen, You think this movie is going one way but they really clever with as total throw you off what really happening.

Really good turn in the story, as I didn't not see it coming at all, it kind of makes sense it ending.

The acting was really good from the whole cast in this movie.

5.9 out of 10

Good surprise

[gottfrid · 7/10 · 2 May 2011]

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.

Jesus Jesus Jesus sin sin sin

[opiaterein · 3/10 · 26 April 2021]

I'm a little baffled that this is labeled a psychological thriller. It's not. It's a Christian thriller. If you don't enjoy being preached at, you'll want to avoid this one. The constant moralizing and sermonizing completely distracts from the film's many good qualities.

I'm a big Andrew Howard Fan.

[RatedVforVinny · 7/10 · 11 December 2019]

Solid horror, starring another chilling performance by Andrew Howard (who was in the amazing remake of 'i Spit on Your Grave'). Has a fairly inventive story and many dramatic twists and turns in the plot. Mr A. Howard might be an actor to watch but he's already typecast in these demented roles; which is absolutely fine.

Do Not Waste Your Time

[smartypantsz · 2/10 · 1 March 2016]

OMG... Completely let down by this film. Why did I WASTE MY TIME...??? I simply shouldn't have believed the 'reviews' by others on IMDb. Those reviewers MUST be attached to the film in some way...

Acting leaves something to be desired. A bit of the ol' over-acting bug in this one. I found myself skipping, then skipping some more, longing for it to end. It was just too unbelievable.

It was kind of a good premise but a total failure in execution.

The other reviewers here on IMDb have definitely over-hyped this into more than it actually was. Could have been good - with better actors, a better script,better execution, and perhaps a better director.

A really good thriller

[baberuth3 · 8/10 · 30 April 2009]

Blood River is one of the better Indy films I've seen in a long time. The lead actor is exceptional and the rest of the small cast deliver fine and engrossing performances, the look of this film is top draw and the location was right on the money, a spooky ghost town. The story had me memorized and on the edge of my seat. The transformation of the victims were totally engrossing and the climax was horrifying. The style was straight forward and simple, which adds to it's classy film making. All the tension built just fine to a climatic ending. After leaving the the theater, I found myself thinking about some of the bad things I've done in my life and even called a friend to apologize about the thing I did, which he wasn't aware of. It made me search my soul and think a lot about being a better man. Rod Serling would be proud.

Reaping the evil which one has sown in an abandoned town in the desert

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 27 September 2023]

A married couple traveling through desolate Nevada (Ian Duncan and Tess Panzer) wind up stuck in a ghost town with a strange cowboy-like man (Andrew Howard). Can they make it back to civilization alive?

"Blood River" (2009) is a psychological survival drama set in the vast wasteland of the Southwest. While an Indie, it's proficiently made on every level, including the cinematography, score/soundtrack, script, cast and acting. Speaking of the latter, Andrew Howard stands out as the intriguing "free spirit" cowboy, reminiscent of Michael Rooker or a younger Robert Duvall and Jon Voight. Like Harvey Keitel's peculiar drifter in "Finding Graceland," you wonder about who or what he really is, although the proceedings here are decidedly grim by comparison.

Elements of the last act recall the ending of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," just minus the goofiness and, again, way more dire. I have no doubt that future films like "3 Nights in the Desert" and "Frank and Penelope" were partially influenced by this Indie.

The story delves into how something or someone may look well on the surface, but underneath is hidden evil and the corresponding ugliness or death, not to mention impending judgment (if the person refuses to 'fess up, that is). Writer/director Adam Mason respects the intelligence of the viewer to put the pieces of the puzzle together without spelling everything out. The answers are there for anyone who cares, but those uninterested in psychology and biblical spirituality will likely find it dull or annoying.

The movie runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot at Gold Point, Nevada, which is a 3-hour drive northwest of Vegas and a 40-minute drive from the border of central California. Additional stuff was done in Los Angeles.

GRADE: B.

Job well done !!!

[beverlypress · 9/10 · 1 May 2009]

This movie kept me in my seat !! I wanted to screen a few movies at this years Newport Beach Film Festival Thinking I had enough time to eat before the screening, I hit traffic on the 405 freeway from San Diego, needless to say, I got there as the movie started. Thinking that I would just grab a bite from the snack bar, I was waiting for a slow point in the film where I wouldn't miss much or lose my seat (placed was packed)

Let me start by saying "I never had a chance !" This small movie with a cast of three kept me riveted in my chair until the end credits. I though I had it all figured out and then something happens in the middle of the movie that made me realize I don't know what the heck is about to happen. (I wont spoil it for you) I will finish with saying the lead girl "Tess Panzer" makes you feel you must jump up into the screen and save her !

Job well done !!!

The actors

[costa1-1 · 9/10 · 29 April 2009]

I saw this movie a few times and it keeps getting better every time i see it.

This movie will make you think of all the bad you did in your life and want to repent.

From the very beginning you will be wondering why is Joseph killing people and then BAM... there it is,Great movie.

This is a well written and filmed movie.

I believe the actors did a great job as well.

I have seen other movies from this company and they are good as well. The scenes are great and the locations make you wonder about where did all the people go from the town

What a surprise!!!

[davidpodmore · 10/10 · 25 October 2009]

This has got to be one of the best surprises in a film I've ever had. Going into the film I had no knowledge of the storyline, the actors or the director and I was completely engrossed from start to finish. I will definitely look out for the director's films now as this was beautifully shot, well paced and the actors were outstanding, especially for an Indy film. The premise for the film was great and it's definitely one of those films that you think about and question after you seen it. A special mention has to go to the actor Andrew Howard who was fantastic in his role, what a character and what a film. I don't really want to say anything about the plot because with this film I think it's best to watch it knowing nothing about it. I wouldn't call it a horror but it is very creepy in parts.

Amazing!!!!!!!!!!

[dkreds12 · 10/10 · 30 April 2009]

WOW!!!!!!! Blood River is amazing, It freaks you out, opens your mind, makes you think and really sticks to you. It's a truly unforgettable classic film. The cast was small but the acting was brilliant, intense, captivating and believable. The writers did a magnificent job of developing the characters, scene and entire storyline. I would love to see how each of them actors/ writers/ producers, follow this up. This is how films should be made. I'm going to tell everyone I know that they have to see it.........I will definitely see it again many times. I'm glad I went to the Newport Beach Film Festival. To all involved..........GREAT JOB!!!!!!

At last! and about time. WOW

[magicbox2 · 10/10 · 18 February 2010]

I am speechless. At last a movie that takes the whole idea and shows you exactly what it is all about.

Strong, brutal, emotional, in your face and truthful from start to end.

A really but really impressive effort, with a great script, that does not try to be anymore than it should, superb acting (Geez... Andrew is amazing!) and slick direction and camera work.

I am really but really very impressed, and look forward to see more from this team.

True story telling in every possible way.

Adam : if you read this: THANK YOU!!! Andrew: honestly WOW!