The Garden (2006)

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.

Director:

Don Michael Paul

Writer:

Samuel Vartek (as Samuel Bozzo)

Stars:

Lance Henriksen, Brian Wimmer, Adam Taylor Gordon

Cast

Credited 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	...	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)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Danielle McKee	...	Deceased Dr. Cairns

Storyline

The boy Sam is tormented by dreadful visions and nightmares and self-inflicts injures to his body. After a period in the hospital, Dr. Cairns tells Sam's father David that the boy is affected by the divorce of his parents and a period together with him would be good for Sam. David travels with Sam in his truck but Sam sees a spirit on the road and pulls the steering wheel off his father, provoking a car accident. Out of the blue, the farmer Ben Zachary rescues them and offers a job to David in his farm. He accepts the offer and enrolls Sam at the local school. Sam has Bible classes with Miss Grace Chapman and sooner he leans that Mr. Zachary is the devil and the place is the Garden of Eden. Further, Zachary has an evil plan for David.

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Plot Keywords:

close up of eye | close up of eyes | bad dream | nightmare | boy | 

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Taglines:

Armageddon is at hand and the final prophecy is about to be fulfilled.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the old man is smoking his cigarette grows from one shot to the next, from almost gone to half smoked.

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Connections

References The Evil Dead (1981)

User Reviews

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 July 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

River to Havilah

Filming Locations:

Raleigh Studios - 5300 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Havilah Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1