Rogue River

The horror indeed! Rogue River would have been rather interesting, if only..there wasn't already another movie with basically the same plot! Basically... at least 90% identically, no questions asked! Anyone remembers Timber Falls? Come on really, what was the point of this one? It is not better made, doesn't have more thrills, has the same location but it does manage to bring a whole lot more plot holes! Easy to anticipate, boring and annoying!

So, if you haven't seen Timber Falls and you are just dying to get a look at this one instead, here is one good reason why not to do it: BECAUSE "TIMBER FALLS" IS ACTUALLY GOOD!

It really is quite shameful, almost a shot-by-shot copy this Rogue River, i mean really, can't they at least pretend to think of an original story? Or maybe take one that is already out there, but bend it a little, add something to it, not make a "little baby sister that COULDN'T"!

Therefore, my advice, if you want to see a horror and you find Rogue River's story interesting, make one giant step and take on Timber Falls instead. You will thank me later, trust me! Enjoy!

A phonebook like note book would not be big enough to put down every movie title of films speaking of this kind of scheme. A lonely - or a couple - more or less lost in the wilderness and suddenly confronted to "evil" forces, peasants, man hunters, psychopaths of all kinds.... This movie is effective, not too long - and that's a good point when you have not that much to tell - and tense. I have never heard of the director nor the actors but the contrary would have surprised me. Not a pure horror film but instead a thriller with some horror accents. Many viewers crave for this kind of low budget films, precisely because the lack of budget let you focus on the settings, story, atmosphere...Things that CGI, most of the time, prevent you to do....

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.

The film starts off innocently enough. A woman (Michelle Page) goes to the river to spread her father's ashes. When she goes to leave, her car is missing. Fortunately, Jon (Bill Moseley) is available to giver her a ride. You wonder why he is there, but whatever, he is there and takes her home to meet his wife Lea (Lucinda Jenney).

They convince her to stay the night instead of going to a motel, and that's when the fun begins.

These two are definitely psycho, and the bizarre behavior keeps intensifying. It gets really bizarre before it is over.

When it is over, you will be scratching your head.

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