PROS: One of the coolest parts of this movie was the original idea. The whole premise of the movie was very new and very exciting. It sort of took on a completely different vibe than most other movies. The thing that really propelled the movie was the way that the story stayed creative from beginning to end. Although the ending wasn't perfect, it also was very conclusive to the message and the overall meaning of the film.CONS: The biggest issues weren't necessarily bad, but rather that they are very average when above average is needed. For example, the acting fell flat in many categories. The main couple in the film did a great job at showing romantic chemistry, but not chemistry with combined fear. That factor would've been the make it or brake it portion of the film, and it was the brake it portion. A lot falls on the acting, when acting isn't good you have a hard time following along with the build up in tension or the resolution. These factors all combined lead to an average attempt at a creative script.www.chorror.com

I'm on a horror podcast, so I've seen it all. I was so pleased that this wasn't the run-of-the-mill that I was expecting—it's a tension- filled, well-paced, scary little ride. Yes, it's a creature movie, but the characters are well-developed (and the acting, for a change, is really GOOD), so we care about them; there are also a few stories going on at the same time, and all of them work well together so that the film's final moments are tied up perfectly (but NOT predictably). What's really impressive is the film's ability to scare due to less is more: we don't see a whole lot until we need to at the end (fans who were terrified by the old stuff like LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK will definitely appreciate this approach). The set-up is tight so that we are plunged into the situation in short order—yet story and development do not get short shrift. If you love creature movies but you're looking for something a little bit different, definitely check this out.

Just saw this at the theater. Went in with pretty low expectations, as I hadn't heard any buzz about this film (so many other promising horror films coming soon - Get Out, A Cure for Wellness, The Belko Experiment, a remake (or re-adaptation) of It, etc. There were only two other (fairly negative) reviews on IMDb, and I read a couple of other reviews (Dread Central and Kim Newman) that were lukewarm about it. The poster art makes the movie look generic and cheap. The premise sounds pretty simple and unoriginal - a couple stranded in the woods, facing some unknown menace. But I'm glad I gave it a chance. I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It's not a "great" film, overly cerebral, emotional, gory, or overly anything. However, there were no moments that particularly bothered me, and all the elements - atmosphere, music, acting, tension - work pretty well together.Dana (Fiona Dourif) and Charles (Kevin Ryan) play a married couple who love each other but have some tensions, such as Charles about to embark on a three-month tour with his band. To celebrate their two-year anniversary and spend some time together before Charles hits the road, they decide to go camping. They soon find disagreements flaring - and to make matters worse, a group of drunk hunters parties and fires off guns at night nearby. But the hunters aren't their only worry, as a mysterious creature quickly dispatches with most of them, leaving only one, Sean (Jake Busey), alive. They rescue him, holing up together in their tent, only to find that Sean might be just as much, if not a greater, threat than the monster outside the tent.The addition of Sean is a brilliant move, as I'm not sure if this would have been as enjoyable without his character, or without Busey's effectively creepy performance. This has the internal-tension-while-under-siege-by-external-threat trope that is pretty common for horror movies (and is there a shorthand name for this? if not, there should be). Everything from Night of the Living Dead to last year's The Monster and Blair Witch relies on it, and I'm a sucker for it. There's not much of a unique take on it here, but it uses those conventions competently. Most good horror is pretty simple in premise; once you get too complicated, you run the risk of ruining the mood. This film knows what it is - a monster-romp-in-the-woods movie - and doesn't try to pretend to be anything more.I'm not sure what to think about the "monster" here, either in its nature or in its visual design. It is strange, not especially scary-looking, and it's hard not to say more without spoiling the film. There's not much explanation for it, although there is a supposed connection to a Native American story told by Sean's "crazy grandma Millie Ray," which sort of makes sense based on what happens, and sort of not.In short, this film is fun if you can just sit back and not think about it too much. It's also a plus if you like the woods as a setting and the above-mentioned siege-type narrative. 7/10 (maybe generous, but for what this film is trying to be, it deserves it).

It starts out promising, with a bunch of graphic images of maggots and other insects during the opening credits, but in the actual movie, most of the actual action happens OFF screen, and there is a real LACK of interesting imagery to hold our attention. Our protagonists' backstories are shallow, the so-called 'secret' is stupid, and nothing really comes to light during their confinement in the tent except when the third-party gives some exposition about the monsters.Spoilers: the monsters are druids. They don't do anything particularly violent, at least not ON CAMERA, and the female lead just kind of kills the other actors off. Even the birth scene (yes there is one) is ridiculously short and happens entirely off camera. Utterly not-scary, nonsensical and invokes little else except apathy.