The Garden (2006)

Director:

Don Michael Paul

Writer (WGA):

Sam Bozzo (written by)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

A troubled young boy and his father on a road trip stumble upon a rural farm where the elderly owner has sinister plans for the both of them involving witchcraft and evil. |

Plot Keywords:

Road Trip | Farm | Young Boy | Apocalypse | Heavy Rain

Cast

Lance Henriksen	...	Ben Zachary
Brian Wimmer	...	David
Adam Taylor Gordon	...	Sam
Claudia Christian	...	Dr. Cairns
Sean Young	...	Miss Grace Chapman
Victoria Justice	...	Holly
Erik Walker	...	Jesse
Ariana Richmond	...	Trashy Girl #1
Jennifer Lutheran	...	Trashy Girl #2
Rick Barker	...	Faceless Person
Shawn Howell	...	Conquest (White Horseman)
Dale Gibson	...	War (Red Horseman)
Mike Watson	...	Famine (Black Horseman) (as Michael George Watson)
Tad Griffith	...	Death (Pale Horseman)

Also Known As:

River to Havilah (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Golden Oak Ranch - 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA

Company:

Havilah Production

Goofs:

Continuity: After the automobile accident, Sam climbs out of bed in his bare feet. Sam walks out of the bedroom and the camera zooms in on Sam's bare feet as he continues down the hall. We see another shot of Sam's bare feet as he ambles down the stairs to the kitchen. Sam's dad, who is on the front porch, sees Sam through the kitchen door and calls out to him. As Sam instantly runs to meet his dad, we clearly hear the sound of Sam's bare feet slapping on the hardwood floor as he races across it. But as he barrels through the kitchen door onto the porch, Sam suddenly and miraculously has his boots on.

Movie Connections:

References Spider-Man (2002)

In the Garden of Eden, baby! Don't you know that I Love Youzzzz zzzzzzz zzzz....

First and foremost, it's a VERY bad idea to schedule a mainly story-driven and atmospheric horror movie like "The Garden" at 3am during a Film Festival and after exhilarating movies like "The Hills Have Eyes"-remake or "Neighborhood Watch"! The subject matter "The Garden" brings forward is interesting, but too abstract and definitely not compelling (let alone exciting) enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. A divorced father and his psychologically troubled son are involved in a car accident and recover at the house of a mysterious old man (Lance Henriksen in his umpteenth inferior horror role). The old guy's garden turns out to be the genuine Paradise of Eden; the place where our whole existence began according to the Holy Bible. Through the re-occurring nightmares of young Sam, the apocalypse can be inflicted in this exact same garden (don't ask me how as I somehow must have missed that part) and maybe that even is what the old man desires to achieve! Don Michael Paul's second film as a director starts out surprisingly stylish with elegant camera-work and a patient drawing of characters and settings. The first murder-sequence also comes at the exact right timing and it's quite bloody, especially considering the tone of the film so far. For reasons I fail to comprehend, "The Garden" then turns into a confusing and painfully dull mess that eventually reverts to annoying clichés and predictable plot twists. The only elements left to enjoy near the end are the creepy music and young Adam Taylor Gordon's impressive acting performance which easily surpasses the quality of his lines.