Sunday, March 08, 2009

The Burrowers a Tragic Tale of Loss and Discovery in the Dakotas: Movie Review



Director: J.T. Petty.

Writer: J. T. Petty.

*The word Indian(s), instead of Native Americans will be a part of this review, in order to stay in a similar tone as the film

"Burrowers," a 2009 straight-to-DVD horror feature travels back to the Dakotas, in the late 1800s to tell a tale of love and survival in the western territories. This film, with attractive cinematography, tells the story through several character's eyes, but primarily through Coffey's perspective (Karl Geary). Initially believing that local Indians have stolen his love, Maryanne (Jocelin Donahue) Coffey goes in search of her with help from a group of local settlers. Slowly, the tale of an ancient Indian tribe, who lives underground and attacks at night comes to the surface, literally. This group of settlers seem to have met their match as they fight renegade Indian bands, out of control cavalrymen, and the dark, which hides this ancient supernatural-like group of beasts.

The social message from "Burrowers," seems vague, but the themes of young love broken by conflict, and Indian atrocities in the American west hint at the inhumanness of settlers colonizing the new world. The Indians, in the story seem to get the blame for almost any unfortunate incident that befalls the characters in "Burrowers," and in truth the Indians are the ones who attempt to help the settlers at certain key points. Once this small group of settlers, with minor character John Clay (Clancy Brown) leading, form up with a group of wandering blue coats the Indians in the story are the subject of torture, clubbings, and murder as they try to warn the "Americans," of the dangers of nighttime and the beasts who rise from the ground. The secondary story of Coffey courting Maryanne ends in tragic fashion, but this plot line makes the story of "Burrowers," more believable by explaining specific character motivations.

The creatures and central antagonists within "Burrowers," that the settlers, infantrymen, and Indians encounter throughout the film are given too few scenes and the central story line, while unbelievable does create enough interest to hold the attention. The "Burrowers," who are mostly shown in the shadows of firelight seem able to travel great distances, despite being blind and living under the soil. Unfortunately, when these creatures are given the spotlight the production value of the film can be seen, by viewers as what looks to be large puppets unthreateningly attack the few remaining characters left in the story. The build-up of tension and myth of the "Burrowers," are creative and effective with Indians delivering some back story on the origins of this race, but the climax, while brutal and full of action does not deliver enough terror to satisfy, or close out the film.

The acting within the film is average or above average, with John Clay outperforming this relatively small group of actors with another fine film appearance, but very little stands out in the "Burrowers," as excellent. Magnificent prairie landscapes and a few gory scenes are simply not enough to thrill. J. T. Petty does take on double duty as writer and director, yet this ambitious film maker might have been better off taking on one role while delegating the story responsibilities to others. Lighting, sound effects, and directing techniques are each without flaws, but only the lighting with the inclusion of interesting, conflicting character interactions create for an eerie, appropriate horror tone during the film.

Overall, an above average outing for a straight-to-DVD feature the "Burrowers," has one of the best settings for a horror outing, but this film will not blow viewers away. J. T. Petty takes his television series to the big screen and this ninety minute thriller does go by quickly; however, the ending, which is in the mood of a tragedy, might make viewers feel like this film is one part in a series of films. A few small scares, and some thrilling scenes adds excitement to the picture and make this film a recommend, only the poor visual display of the "Burrowers," and a realistic yet, sad, unclosed ending take away from total enjoyment of this feature.

6 Dirty Skulls out of 10.

A trailer for "Burrowers," here:



Sources:

Burrowers at IMDB

Burrowers at Upcominghorror.com

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