Blood River

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.