Barricade

I almost did not watch this because of the terrible reviews here. But that's a good thing now, because I went into the movie thinking it was going to be awful when I was pleasantly surprised.

The acting was great, the unknown kids did a great job. The plot was good and original. I am a HUGE horror fan and have never seen a movie like this (and I have watched a TON of horror moves).

I was shocked that this was PG-13. This movie scared the crap out of me, and I am a 37 year old male. I must have jumped no less than 10 times and screamed at the screen several times (about the same amount as when I watched Insidious). However, I do scare easily, but that is why I LOVE horror movies. When going to bed that night I was looking behind doors, turning on lights, etc...

So if you are like me and go into this movie excepting it to be a HUGE let down, you might be pleasantly surprised like I was. In conclusion, sit back and enjoy it for what it is, and what it is is a great horror movie with a lot of scares, good acting, and a good story!

"Barricade" is a well produced, atmospheric chiller with excellent acting, human characters, good cinematography, some creepy Kubrickian moments, a great location and an engaging premise. The only thing I didn't like was the plot reveal which felt like a major letdown after all the above.

But who knows, you might like it. Or at least, you might have a good time waiting to see if it's really as bad as everyone says. Note: that's the last I'll say about the ending because I don't want to ruin it (unlike the current top 2 reviews which spoil it in the first sentence. Seriously? How is spoiling a movie helpful?).

This is the first time I've seen Eric McCormick who plays the father, and I thought he was fantastic. He bears a striking resemblance, as well as a similar likable quality, to Sam Rockwell, and in fact I kept thinking maybe it was his twin brother or something. If you like Sam Rockwell flicks (like "Moon") you'll enjoy McCormick's delivery. He plays a good lead here: a father of 2 young kids forced to protect them from creepy happenings in a remote corner of the world. Despite losing his grip of reality as events unfold, he remains more or less smart and resourceful.

The two kids were excellent as well, and their fear added to the mood without being melodramatic as young actors sometimes are (I'm thinking mainly of my own attempts at making "horror movies" when I was 12, you don't want to know).

The atmosphere is very chilly, figuratively as well as literally. Filmed over the course of 4 days in the snowy wilderness near Vancouver, the filmmakers did an excellent job of conveying a claustrophobic feeling of terror despite being in the wide open north.

Really, this is a very well made movie except for the actual story driving it. Oh, there's one other thing I didn't care for: all the false scares in the first half hour. Some were effective, and I actually jumped once, but after being tricked a few too many times I started disconnecting from the action.

"Barricade" is one of those creepy films where you don't know what the threat is until the end, and this puts it in line with some excellent films like "The Others", "The Changeling", "Moscow Zero", or the mack daddy of twist endings, "The Sixth Sense". But in this case the story didn't have a corkscrew twist so much as it had a itty bitty bend.

If I could describe this movie in one word it would be...plain. Its your run of the mill low budget thriller, and if you've watched 10 horror movies in your life, you've already seen everything this movie has to offer. Its full of "boo!" scares mixed in with someone standing outside the window one second, and gone the next double takes. Also if you can't stand the disruptive flow of stories where you watch a scene, then all the sudden the character is back on the couch and the last two minutes didn't really happen, you will not like this, because it does that a lot. But it is better that you'd expect for a WWE direct to video movie so watch it only if you come across a free copy and have some time to kill. Lastly, as for all the "confused" reviews- this movie does leave you with a lot of questions, but there is one scene where it zooms in on something for a pause, and that will answer most of the questions. You will know it when you see it.

Very sleek looking low-budget Horror with a plot that is so simple it confuses many people. In fact, the ending spells everything out in clear, precise terms. It even has a few lines that are a complete synopsis of what happened and the flashbacks make it as clear as the driven snow. So the reaction of some that it is incomprehensible just does not hold up.

Yes, the telegraphed "surprise" makes the twist a bit unsurprising, and most will see it coming, but that does not take away most of the gimmicky, but good looking scary movie clichés. It is a restrained production with not much makings at its disposal but takes advantage with a smooth editing style and some creepy, stunning minimalist photography.

This one has an efficiency that is borderline with holding, but it does deliver enough to make it satisfying, if nothing new, in the overused "cabin in the woods" is akin to "batten down the hatches" scenario.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekXNWWlp3N0 Shocktober continues:Well it is nice to see a WWE film that doesn't involve wrestlers.That being said, now the movie.The acting was very good, especially the kids.Scenery when you got to see it was also great, but the majority of the movie was isolated to the house.That being said the plot and story itself was not very well done.There were so many ways this could've been a good film and it just fell flat.I was hoping they could utilize the high points that flashbacks were alluding to throughout the movie and it just never happened.For a rental it is fine but beyond that I wouldn't much bother. 4.6/10 IMDb 4.7. Bonus for my readers http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi1627915033/