Rogue River

By now i'm a bit afraid to watch flicks coming from the After Dark label. Most of them are okay but aren't gory or do has anything to show. There are of course some exceptions sadly this isn't.

I just couldn't care what happened with anybody in Rogue River. The acting was okay but not that it will win prices but it was a bit low on every grade. And it did also scriptwise. There's nothing original in it not that it has to be but it doesn't have anything to add towards the genre. Once the flick was over I thought, what did I just see and I couldn't really say it.

It's low on blood and gore, there's no nudity and some things you just could see coming. It's okay to watch it if you have nothing else to do or to watch but this wont become a classic. Luckily the way it was shot was rather good.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5

"We won't keep you. I promise." Michelle (Page) is sitting by a river getting ready to scatter her dad's ashes when Jon (Moseley) shows up and tells her it's illegal. When Michelle finds her car missing she accepts an offer of a ride by Jon. After going to his house and meeting his wife she begins to regret her decision. This is another example of liking a movie based on your expectations. I really thought this was going to be low budget and cheesy and I have to admit that it wasn't that bad. It is still a B movie, but it's a higher B movie. I really can't say that this is a good movie but it was much better then I expected and Moseley is really creepy in this. I was a little disturbed at some of the scenes and found myself turning away in some parts, but overall this is really not a bad movie. Overall, nothing amazing but for a short horror B movie you could do much worse. I give it a B.

I try not to compare films with others and just watch it based on its own merit. Having said that, I thought the film was not as bad as most reviews made it out to be. The story had potential and the actors were quite convincing in their role.

What lacked for me was the lead actress not being able to connect with the audience. I think one of the most important things that a protagonist has to do is to be able to establish some sort of rapport with the people watching the film, and this is something she failed to do with me. I thought most of her decisions were quite questionable, though I did like the ending.

On its own, the story lacked some character developments and seemed to be "hurried", as if the writer wanted to get into the "action" real quick. The result was that the suspense did not build enough to put me at the edge of my seat, so to speak. There were a lot of instances for this, but the writer and director failed to deliver on this aspect.

The cinematography is good though. Scenes were clear and the shots complimented the entire movie.

All in all, it's an okay movie to watch if there's nothing else, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to friends.

I actually really enjoyed this movie and I think the reason so many other people disliked it is because they had much different expectations of what the movie should be. Sometimes what really makes a horror movie messed up isn't the scary plot but the creepiness of the characters within and that's what I feel made this movie interesting. If you're a fan of horror movies with really odd characters then this movie is for you. The plot was not too special, although there were some decent shocking twists that really make your eyes widen. What really kept me invested in this movie was the extremely disconcerting characters which is something I love about horror movies like this one. If you're into horror that doesn't revolve around a supernatural plot and revolves around off-putting character relations and uncomfortable scenes like I am, then I would definitely recommend this movie. If you're easily bored by movies that don't have stellar plots with intense intricacy then maybe try something else.

Let's see...where do I start? Let's start with what you're craving throughout the entire length of the film, character development. This is a basically non-existent element of the movie. The protagonist is unlikeable, a judgment which I base only on the first thing she says. The main reason why is because I actually have nothing else to go by. Her first impression is never redeemed, because her character never develops in the slightest. The only purpose of her existence is to be tormented and scream. And no, most horror protagonists are not necessarily like that. As far as the antagonists go, they do get more and more insane throughout, so at least something's happening.

There's no shortage of plot holes. I won't spoil anything (not that you'd care). But, I will say that even the motives of the kidnappers I feel were not fully explained.

Of course there's endless horror cliché's, but you're already expecting that. There are however some very creepy and original moments near the beginning.

I've heard people claim this is similar to Timber Falls (???). I honestly don't understand that at all. There's two scenes which bare a very slight resemblance to it, everything else is totally different. Those two scenes are not enough to accuse it of ripping off Timber Falls. Also, let's remember that Timber Falls is a much better film.

Ending on a positive note, the acting is pretty good actually. It has Bill Mosley of course. The other performers are quite good as well though.

4/10