Rogue River

Riddled with implausibilities, Rogue River will not satisfy those who want to believe and its lack of character development those who want to care.

Although there are ideas which contain potential, they are swiftly brushed aside before being explored to make way for the next method of torment. Outside of these details is a tired and predictable plot, which has its lowest point towards the end, where the escapees make an irrational decision with a consequence so obvious a flashing subtitle would've done just as well.

Whilst the acting is not terrible, with little to flesh out but the usual hints at a trauma background leading to psychosis, very few of the characters' actions make much sense. The narrative is lazy even for those who are not deemed irrational.

It's hard not to assume that most of the budget went on the helicopter for the opening aerial shots, which do a great job explaining the distance and evoking the depth of a history. The landscape is in fact the most promising part of this movie, with the closing shot - a lengthy, low angle retreat - almost a masterpiece in comparison to what led us there. It gives you the impression that the director really wanted to make a different movie.

Rogue River is one of those films to watch whilst doing something else.

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.

ROGUE RIVER is one of those low budget horror films that feels like it has big aspirations. It wants to be the next big fear flick, the sort of film to have crowds flocking to theatres to get caught up in a thrilling journey into hell. Unfortunately it's an entirely predictable and routine affair, one that slavishly copies the plot of a dozen other movies (such as the Aussie flick THE LOVED ONES) while remaining singularly unsatisfying throughout.

The best thing ROGUE RIVER has going for it are some surprisingly decent production values, and effective cinematography to boot. Jourdan McClure certainly knows how to make his film look good on a budget, and there's none of that dodgy shaky cam editing to spoil things. The acting isn't too bad either; Michelle Page is a relatively likable heroine (until she starts making dumb decisions, that is) and Bill Moseley and Lucinda Jenney are quietly effective as the mysterious homeowners.

Unfortunately what sinks this is the calibre of writing, which just isn't up to much. For once I would like to watch a low budget horror film that avoids clichés, but I wonder if it will ever happen. There's the usual excursion into torture porn territory here (although thankfully nothing too distasteful), along with some extremely dumb character decisions in the second half that will make you despise the characters. I think of such moments as plot holes, designed purely to string a lacking plot out just a bit further, and they make ROGUE RIVER a disappointment.

"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.