Coventry Review of Blood River

Blood River (2009)

And we go down to the River, and into the River we repent for our sins?!?

[4/10 · 11 April 2010]

I have a lot of sympathy and respect for the duo Simon Boyes and Adam Mason, because they write and direct – at a relatively high tempo, I may add – horror films that are at least somewhat "wayward" without necessarily obeying to the public's mainstream demands of remakes, teen slashers and lousy sequels. Their movies certainly aren't groundbreaking or profound ("Broken" is a survival thriller and "The Devil's Chair" is a sort of throwback to asylum horror), but they do appeal to die-hard and experienced fans of the genre because they're brutal, grim and thoroughly sinister. I had particularly high hopes for "Blood River", as it is described as the duo's most ambitious and thematic screenplay. Unfortunately, however, and in spite of a very powerful first half and an overall exact right atmosphere & setting, this actually turned out to be a slight disappointment instead. "Blood River" introduces too many plot elements that feel familiar and derivative. Young newlyweds driving across the Nevada desert, car trouble on a godforsaken road, a mysterious loner who may or may not be an apostle directly sent down by God himself, ghost towns and macabre discoveries in the trunk of a car … We've all seen too many horror films featuring these key elements so this one doesn't exactly feel very refreshing. Also, Mason and Boyes persist in upholding and even enlarging the mysterious atmosphere up until the last minutes for no apparent reason. The script doesn't reveal certain vital denouements, not even long after you already figured them out. Clark and Summer, a happily married young couple with a baby on the way, drive across the desert to visit the parents in law. Their car has a blow out and naturally there isn't a spare tire, so they have to walk several miles to the nearest town on the map – called Blood River – only to discover it's an abandoned place. Then arrives the enigmatic chain- smoking and whiskey-sipping cowboy Joseph. The couple will have to work together with this discretely obtrusive and uncanny individual, but we already know for a fact there's something weird about him because we witnessed how he convinced the sex-hungry motel owner to slit her own wrists. Is Joseph a deranged serial killer obeying the voices in his head or is he really a disciple of God, put on the earth to punish the sinners? And, if he is, what sins could this cute young couple possibly have committed to deserve such a painful ordeal? The first half of "Blood River" is quite tense and compelling, simply because the plot and character drawings are still unfolding. As soon as it's time for answers and clarifications, the script becomes implausible and unoriginal. The desolate filming locations are great (especially the "cemetary" at the end) and the acting performances are above average, but this just isn't a memorable film. Nice try, Mr. Mason and Mr. Boyes, but I would prefer for your next movie to be more straightforward and violent again.