The Bone Snatcher

There is an interesting idea here. It is a sort of weird mix of John Carpenter's The Thing, H.P. Lovecraft with sand thrown in. Lots of sand. For anyone who has seen The Thing and read Lovecraft sand surely doesn't spoil things. It actually makes for an interesting setting that is not too often used in horror. In fact, it is not really used much in any type of movie.

Perhaps it's the fact that such a featureless landscape is hard to imagine as anything other than dull and certainly not frightening. The typical desert doesn't have many, if any at all, caves or any other crevices and burrows where something awful can hide. So just where does a demon, that can strip someone's skin clean off their bones hide? Well, you'll just have to watch to find the answer, but unfortunately it is that answer that'll provide you with a let down. Like I said, the idea is good, but the manner in which it is shown commits one of the cardinal sins of the horror genre and that's showing too much too quickly. Virtually every horror movie that does so automatically just slips a few notches. It doesn't become frightening. Startling at best, but that's just not enough. Also, as another letdown is the lack of atmosphere. The cinematography hardly does justice to the setting and it relies too much on the mediocre special effects to cause chills. Predictably, those chills aren't nearly as chilling as they could have been. Also, the film seems to strive a little too far in giving a scientific explanation for the horror. That doesn't affect the film as bad as the other things, but it does take away a good deal of the mystery.

The manner in which is presented that is real down, but the initial idea remains a very good one. Meaning horror fans will want to tune in, if just for that. --- 5/10

Rated R for horror images and profanity. Ages 13+

What looks like an Australian movie starring non-stars keeps you in suspense to find out what the bone snatcher really is. The desert locale helps to bring that other-worldly scene missing in so many of today's horror movies. Fairly well done cinematography; acting could have been better, and the script. Still, I think it's worth watching. (Unfortunately I saw it on the SCIFI channel so it was cut to shreds.) The "creature" may seem too fantastic to some, but its actually a play on the creatures in Michael Crichton's book PREY (nano-monsters!). I've wasted time on far worse!

Dr. Zack Straker (Scott Bairstow) is a laboratory scientist sent to a work in the field, more precisely in a diamond mining company in the Namid Desert, in Africa. His first assignment is to participate of a rescue mission of three missing prospectors, who are lost in the desert. The rescue team finds the bones separated from the completely destroyed bodies of the prospectors. The African Titus (Andre Weidman) explains that the slaughter was carried out by the Sandmother, a sort of evil being that was part of the African belief. His colleagues do not pay much attention on his faith. Meanwhile, their truck has an electrical problem and they have to spend the night in the desert, when they face the horrible monster that snatches the bones of its victims. Zach and the other survivors conclude that sometimes pray isn't enough, and decide to fight against the destructive creature. "The Bone Snatcher" is another variation of the storyline of "Alien". However, this story takes place in great locations in the desert and the special effects are reasonably good, and this horror movie is above the average of this genre. There are the usual clichés, but it is not a bad movie. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Caçador de Ossos" ("Bones Hunter")

This horror tale takes place in the Namib Desert of Africa. A Canadian systems analyst, Zach Straker(Scott Bairstow)is sent on an assignment for a diamond mining company. Although he hates field work, he finds himself in a truck with a rescue unit in the open desert fighting sand flies and whipping, blowing sand. Four diamond prospectors are found...well whats left of their scattered bones are discovered. During a long cold desert night a shape-shifting monster makes its appearance. Zach and his colleagues are terrified when their truck is stranded and members of the unit are dying horribly one by one. There is no character development; let alone dialogue to speak of. The desert set in its own way is beautiful and without giving anything away... the creature is as old as the desert sands. Also in the cast are: Rachel Shelley, Warrick Grier and Patrick Shai.

This horror movie starts out promisingly enough and there is a moment where I thought to myself "this is going to be really good". However, it gets rather boring rather quick at the end. The acting is fairly good, as is the location and the story starts out rather well too. The problem, not enough kills on screen and an ending where you have the monster basically turning tail and running. I wanted to see more, especially after a very good sleeping bag scene where I thought the movie was picking up and going to be a winner. Unfortunately after that the movie showed the monster very little and the back of the DVD lied as it told me that the desert beneath the people literally came alive and was capable of devouring their flesh...now that would have been some movie, a nearly inescapable situation. Granted that would have made viewers uncomfortable and it might of ramped up the tension, but that is what horror movies are supposed to do! Instead we have very few shots of the creature or creatures as it were and when we do see it, it is mainly on the defensive. Still it wasn't all bad, it just needed more horror less hunting and more chomping.