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43 out of 58 people found the following comment useful :-
A cut above, 23 July 2007

Author: Craig McPherson from Montreal, Canada

I have a problem with the new genre of "torture porn" that has muscled its way into the horror movie limelight with such movies as Hostel and Touristas. It's sick, repugnant, and of virtually no redeeming value, and yet, like a moth to a flame, I can't bring myself to not watch it, even though I end up cursing myself for subjugating my mind to its imagery afterward.

Such was the case when the 2007 edition of Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival scheduled a screening of Borderland. I found myself driving downtown muttering to myself how I was going to regret this. And truth be told, I almost did, except that the movie came packaged in a fully fleshed out story (pun intended) that had the added impact of having been based on a true story.

In 1989, Mexican police unearthed 12 bodies in the town of Matamoros. Their brains and spinal cords had been removed. It was later determined that a gang of drug smugglers had been practicing their own form of Santeria, a religious hybrid of Catholicism and African religions, similar to Voodoo. The leader of the gang, Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, was worshiped as a living god by his followers and practiced the ritual sacrifice of wayward individuals in the belief that the gods would make them invisible to the police as they went about their drug smuggling operation.

This is the backdrop that Borderland sets itself against as it tells the tale of a trio of Americans from Texas who head for a short stay in Mexico to indulge in some fast women and cheap booze. Along the way they hook up with a stunning and resourcefully independent Mexican barmaid played by Martha Higareda (soon to be seen alongside Keanu Reeves and Hugh Laurie in The Night Watchmen) and, as fate would have it, cross paths with members of the gang. The movie also delivers some truly twisted casting as Sean Austin of Lord of the Rings renown takes a villainous turn as the lone American member of the Santeria drug gang.

Director Zev Berman, for whom this movie marks only his third stint holding the directorial reigns, does a remarkably good job keeping the pacing tight and focused, blending a nice mix of story, action and (I hate to say it) gore, even though it's this latter part that I dearly wish could be toned down. The version I saw had not yet been rated by the MPAA so if there's any hope, the more unnecessarily gory parts of it will be excised before it gets given its cinematic release. While I'm no advocate of censorship, some of the gorier shots were just plain gratuitous. Berman would do well to re-cut the movie taking a cue from the original Saw (as opposed to the sequels), which illustrated just how gory you could make a movie while showing so little.

Still, Borderland plays out to a satisfying pay off, and never let my interest flag along the way, even if it did have me watching large chunks (pun intended, again) through my fingers, which, I suppose, is a good thing for some folks.

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32 out of 46 people found the following comment useful :-
A horrifying, gory thriller that chills to the bone, 4 April 2007

Author: larry-411 from United States

I attended the World Premiere of Borderland at the 2007 SXSW Film Festival. The fact that this was in the midnight screenings section should say a lot right off the bat. But what made this horror film so horrifying is that it all really happened.

Borderland is based on the true story of ritual sacrifice killings conducted by a group of drug dealers in Mexico a few years back. The story centers around Phil, chillingly played by Rider Strong (Boy Meets World, Cabin Fever). Phil and two of his college buddies are spending some quality time just across the Mexican border before shipping off to grad school. Strong is one of those actors who, having started very young, has such a naturalistic acting style that his performance here was frightening on many levels.

The Q&A with director Zev Berman and cast members Rider Strong and Brian Presley ended close to 3 AM, about as long as any I can remember, and could have gone on all night. It was amazing how much of a stickler Berman was for being faithful to the story. It's hard to believe that some of the torture scenes really took place. But that's what makes it so gripping. It's one of the most gruesome films I've seen, and would be right up there with some of the most shocking horror/slasher/thrillers to come out lately, if not for the fact that it all really happened. There have been many films at recent festivals which have been very hard to watch, and this was no exception. It was an intense experience. But it absolutely has to be known going in that it is a true story, because otherwise some of the scenes would strain credulity.

I hope it can find an audience, because it might be too tough for the highbrow crowd yet not as darkly comedic as most slasher flicks are to satisfy the horror crowd. I did see one film similarly horrific this year, An American Crime at Sundance. It also plays out a shocking true story without pulling any punches. But Borderland is more "entertaining," if that makes sense, because there is at least a genre that it falls into neatly. Anyone who loves a good gory thriller will enjoy it. But once they are aware it all really happened, they will be chilled to the bone.

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23 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
Terrifying crime thriller, deserves much more attention than it's getting, 10 November 2007

Author: auroreden from United States

I went into Borderland not knowing what I would find there. Just the subject matter suggested blood and gore. . .but how would it all pan out? A slasher film? Supernatural horror? Crime drama? Well, not to detract from the (very-well-done) slashing elements of the movie, and the supernatural pretensions of some of its protagonists, it turned out to be a very neat, beautifully realized crime thriller with a very sharp edge.

The film begins with a tension-filled scene that sets the stage for what is to come, as two Mexican cops investigate a sinister dark mansion in search of the mysterious Santillan. We don't know who he is at this point, only that his house bears testament to strange rites and animal sacrifices. When one of the cops discovers human remains among the animal ones, the action begins in earnest, and we learn very quickly that Santillan is not your average drug dealing psycho killer. No, his self-styled "religion", based on African Palo-Mayombe rites, involves ritual sacrifices of a particularly gruesome order, requiring not only blood, but abject terror, to appease the gods who then grant him favors to protect himself, his minions, and his drug trade.

Then the main story commences, as three recent college graduates from Texas decide to head across the border for a wild night or two of partying before going their separate ways. Through a seemingly random series of events, their lives collide with that of the cult/cartel, in unimaginably terrifying ways, and to no good end.

Dialogue was crisp and realistic throughout, as were all the settings. Acting was quite good, exceptional in some cases, and in some moments in particular. Brian Presley's final screen shots were excruciating depictions of a man turned against his own beliefs by brutal overriding experiences.

But all the acting was notable: Sean Astin acting against type as a brute and brutal follower of Santillan's camp; Martha Higareda as Brian Presley's love interest, and Rider Strong, whose descent into terror convinces every nerve of the horror of his experience. And as Santillan, Beto Cuevas exudes a silkily seductive but deeply sinister presence. In his portrayal, Santillan's overblown ego is always apparent (he believes himself to be invisible and invincible, a near-god himself, as long as he provides the sacrifices his bloodthirsty gods required). But most remarkable is his ability to convey what can only be described as compassionate cruelty. In one scene he tenderly caresses a chained victim who has been roughed up by one of the kidnappers, stating, blood-chillingly, "I don't believe in violence (pause) without a purpose." .

Zev Berman as co-writer and director exercises his trademark sensitivity to setting and tone, with clear and focused guidance and exquisite attention to detail. One episode that stood out for me took place in an amusement park, where four of the main characters ingest hallucinogenic mushrooms, a scene leading up to several pivotal moments in the story's development. It's always a challenge to depict experiences that are largely internal, even more so to do it convincingly. In this case, it was spot on. But that is just one example. Throughout, the slow buildup to the movie's climactic and hugely terrifying denouement is perfectly paced. And the camera work, dark and gritty, adds much to the overall feeling of impending horror.

I can't imagine why this movie did not receive a wider release. I hope, as a Variety reviewer said, that word of mouth will bring enough attention to it for blockbuster DVD sales. It deserves a great deal more than it is getting.

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11 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Well Told Tale of Horror, 15 November 2007

Author: Charles Delacroix from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I saw this on the last night of our local Horrorfest 2007 and was both duly horrified and impressed. To me this is an outstanding horror film that could stand alongside Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Friday the 13th.

The tale provides a really delightfully horrifying mix of quasi-religious/satanist cultishness, sadistic gore, fun-loving college students plunged into terror, and nightmarish cross-cultural confusion.

The script was solidly scary; it delivers and delivers well. I really like the basic strategy: starting with a really nasty, brutal, scary torture scene, introducing the horrifyingly sadistic and creepy Gustavo; then for a fairly lengthy time we have this wonderful story full of indirection and feints and suggestiveness, including all kinds of cultural misdirection and confusion, during which I kept looking for a new horror along the lines of the initial scene of horror; and finally after this long fear-inducing build-up, we get an even more horrifying torture scene and a bloodbath to go along with it. To me this all works very, very well, and the script gets top props for this arrangement and for really solid scenes throughout. The script is even sprinkled with some really great lines: "The border has no memory." "I'll be back when I know what I'm doing."

The script was executed very convincingly. The acting was consistently solid. Brian Presley's Ed was excellent and convincing, and Jake Muxworthy gave us an excellent rendition of party-loving Henry. Valeria is attractively portrayed by Martha Higareda.

As for the cult and cult members, the script as executed gives the cult as such a strong "flavor" while giving us convincing portrayals of several very distinctively wicked members of the cult. The leader of the cult, Beto Cuevas' Santillan, was not for me nearly as salient as Marco Bacuzzi's Gustavo. Bacuzzi gives us a Gustavo who is to me so sadistic, so creepy, and so scene-dominating that I would really put him in the same pantheon of nasty horror characters as Jason and Michael Myers and Hannibal Lector.

The cinematography is consistently outstanding, and there are some really great visuals. I especially liked the scenes in the amusement park, and some of the indoor scenes: such as the early scene of a policeman looking down a blue corridor with a statue of the Virgin Mary in a niche in the wall behind him; and then another in which one of the female characters is climbing an indoor circular staircase. But really almost all of the scenes were really composed very effectively; and the gory scenes were as gory and creepy and scary as one could wish.

The only really big objection I had was to the sound, which was just horribly washed out, obscure, and sometimes almost non-existent, as in the case of several gunshots that sounded like pencils tapping on a table. I couldn't really believe that the movie's sound could be this bad, except that another audience member in my theater said he talked with theater staff, which did try to make adjustments of some kind, utterly unsuccessful.

And I'll admit that I'd much rather see Gustavo as the top cult-creep.

But all in all, this is a wonderful horror movie that deserves a lot wider recognition as such, IMHO.

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
A well made movie with one stellar character., 10 August 2008

Author: Allan Brunke from Canada

I was fairly entertained by this film, but it wasn't anything I would run out and tell my friends about. Very well written story, very believable acting including one VERY intense role by Jake Muxworthy.

Borderland had its ups and downs when it came to the overall play out, but it was very well made none the less. The death scenes were gruesome, the reactions were emotional and well done and the little comedy that was there was actually quite witty.

Over all I think it is very much worth the watch, but if you're looking to get blown away by a movie, I wouldn't recommend this one. I believe Muxworthy is an actor that is going to have a very bright future in this business, he absolutely has the skill to star in a mainline film.

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
A pretty good film for this genre, 6 April 2008

Author: vnums from United States

"Based on true events" is rather ambiguous at best and I think if you go into this film believing it's ALL true it will be quite an experience, however I find that the story too well follows a classic plot to be an entirely true story.

Three guys take a trip to Mexico that goes all wrong when they run into a cult of violent murderers. That's pretty much the gist of things.

The acting is actually rather decent and the story is well told and even believable to some degree and it kept my attention all the way through and proved to be one of the better films I've seen in this genre. I actually had to remind myself half way through that this was supposed to be a gore-filled horror film. There was nothing new in terms of blood, guts, and gore, and there really wasn't a whole lot of it given the length of the movie, but what's there gets the point across well.

Some people have referred to it as "goreporn" also which it really isn't. I'm glad at least some writers feel that gratuitous sex/nudity take away from a story when unnecessary.

Bottom line: If you go in expecting the same garbage this genre pumps out yearly, you'll be quite pleasantly surprised. If you go in expecting a masterpiece in horror theater, you'll likely be disappointed.

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11 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
WOW, Talk About Entertainment, 4 June 2008

Author: Dragoneyed363 from United States

This movie was simply great.I was expected it to be good, but yet I thought it turned out wonderfully.The suspense was good, and the violence was bloody and gory.The acting was good for a low budget film as well, and this was just an all around great movie.There were some parts where it got a little boring, and yes there were some scenes were it felt like the actors weren't trying hard enough, but overall it was totally worth watching.If you like the Afterdark Horrorfest films, this is a must see, because it is one of the best of the series.I will say all the Afterdark Horrorfest films are a little underrated and they don't need to be, because these are some of the greatest B-Movies ever to be made.

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12 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
dark, nasty, scary stuff, 22 April 2008

Author: TheatreX from Louisville, KY

Supposedly this is the "pick of the litter" of the new set of "8 films to die for" and so I picked it first, having been mostly disappointed with what I saw of the first go-round. Not bad, very dark, very creepy, pretty scary stuff. Three buddies go to Mexico to live it up before college & run into some kind of cult that sacrifices people. You'd think you can't swing a dead cat in Mexico without running into some kind of wacko cult, and perhaps that's true, but if these folks had been watching their horror movies, they'd have known better. Of course, after an evening tripping on magic mushrooms, one of them decides to wander off on his own, and disappears. Now, these cultists are not very nice people at all, and if you mess with them, you are pretty much guaranteed to not live very long. The two remaining friends hook up with a former police officer whose partner was killed by these loonies & go in search of their friend. I have to say this was a far better than average film, and was very well done. Sean Astin also plays the part of an American who is part of this cult & who is a rather despicable character, not exactly his kind of role. Good stuff for those who like stuff like Hostel, etc., and have strong stomachs, all others should probably proceed with caution. 7 out of 10.

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10 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
far exceeded my expectations;thrilling and surprisingly well made, 19 March 2008

Author: mathewellsworth from United States

In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have watched Borderland first out of the other 2007 horror fest titles I rented, because this film has set the bar pretty high. The plot concerns a trio of college friends who decide, before they each move on to different schools, to take a last minute trip over the border for some uninhibited debauchery. Things soon turn into a hellish nightmare when they become targets of a violent drug ring/cult. What keeps this from being another Hostel knock off is Borderlands realistic approach to the material (what makes the proceedings even more terrifying is that they are based on actual events). Also, I was impressed by the quality of the film making and especially the acting, which helps add to the realism (look for an actor you might remember from the Lord of the Rings in very convincing, un-hobbit like role). From the nerve shattering, horrific opening to the finale, Borderland is great horror film that gets under your skin. I highly recommend it to those with strong stomachs.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Nasty little Shock-feature, 1 October 2008

Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls

"Borderland" belongs in the category of the nowadays indescribably popular "torture-porn" movies, along with titles such as "Hostel", "Saw", "Live Feed", "Blood Trails", etc… This basically means they are excessively gross but nonsensical and forgettable films without a plot or amiable characters. But for some reason this one left an aftertaste in my mouth that is far more sour than usual. It's not a particularly good film, but it implements a truly unsettling atmosphere as well as an almost unequaled nihilistic narrative style. Perhaps this has to do with the fact "Borderland" is inspired by true events, namely the discovery of a mass grave just across the Mexican border and filled with victims of a satanic cult who had their brains and spine columns removed. The wraparound story of the three American guys may be fictional, but the ritual sacrifices of the cult are supposedly truthful and that is more than enough reason to label this as one of the most disturbing movies of the past couple of years. The opening ten minutes are particularly grim, cold and distant, showing two Mexican cops busting into an abandoned house in search of the cult's fugitive leader. One of the cops is submitted to severe torture – including removal of the eyeballs – whilst the other one is forced to watch. It's definitely an intro that counts and grabs your attention, to say the least. The next few chapters are more typical and clichéd horror stuff, with a trio of hormone-driven guys crossing the Mexican border with only booze, drugs, parties and sexy women on their minds. One of them naturally gets kidnapped by members of the cult and his only remaining purpose is to serve as the next sacrifice to their bizarre God. The two remaining friends, and a randomly picked up Mexican hottie, combine forces with the survivor cop from the intro. The majority of the film is actually very mundane, simplistic and even on the verge of being really boring! There also isn't much suspense, background information or character development… There's nothing extraordinary going on here, except relentless and genuinely shocking brutality. But hey, the lack of creativity is at least widely compensated by the dark ambiance and the grueling scenery. And multiple moments of extremely graphical content, of course! There's one integrally shown sequence, for example, in which at least seven or eight cult members club someone to death using meat cleavers, baseball bats and large butcher's knives. It's definitely not a film intended for the squeamish and/or people with a sensitive stomach. Most curious aspect is perhaps that Sean Astin, who gained name-fame and glory since the Lords of the Rings trilogy, stars in a truly inglorious role of loathsome disciple in service of the Mexican cult. Bizarre career move, if you ask me...

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