Shallow Ground (DVD, 2005)

SOME BOZO said this was NOT helpful based on another review (The Hills Have Eyes) This has NOTHING to do with this! And I NEVER and WON'T provide SPOILERS! So that is how I conduct my reviews! So THERE! OK, Sorry about that for the rest of you, but with all that said...Here's the review...

Finally, a grisly horror film with an original thought in its head! Sure, this is filmed like a standard B-movie thriller I KNOW THAT EBAY FOLKS, but the plot kept me guessing to the end. Creepy, unsettling yet entertaining!
An hick town is shutting down because of construction and land need for a new dam. A sheriff Jack (Murphy) still isn't over the violent disappearance of his girlfriend (Killian), and can't commit to the deputy (Stoddart) he's working with. Another deputy (Kirsch) is looking forward to getting back to city life.
Just when ya thought it was gonna' get slow, a naked, blood-soaked teenager (Marquette) wanders into their office. And things start getting very, very strange, dredging up all those unsolved missing-person cases and disrupting the town's evacuation.

As the film goes on, the mystery gets big. It's not clever or complicated, but it's something you simply cannot predict or unravel so it leaves you feeling off-balance from the beginning. Just when you think you know what's going on, a curveball is thrown. Stole a bite or two from Evil Dead but I wouldn't bring a law suit. If you liked evil dead infact, see this movie! The acting is low-key and just a little 'off beat', in typical B-movie tradition.
Gore, freaky flashbacks and weird visions. Watch whole movie and pay attention from mid point to the end or you will get lost. You'll find out only at the end what the whole thing's about. For $5 it's a buy

I'm a huge horror fan. I can appreciate a film for being scary on many different levels. However, the only scary thing about this movie is the hole it burned in my wallet. The acting was very weak. The main effect was a boy covered in blood, dripping blood and oozing blood. Sounds cool right? ... NOT scary in one bit. A few holes in plot. One scene the boy is locked up, the next he appears elsewhere with no explanation of how he escaped.

Pros: Stylish b-movie took an old archetype and put it's own stamp on it! False leads and plot twists keep you guessing and plot ties up everything neatly (unlike the awful big-budget nightmare that was Boogeyman).

I wasn't expecting and indy horror flick to be this slick and suspenseful. I never would have guessed where it led (or the stops in between). It had me so on edge that I jumped when my cell phone rang. Then realized I was shaking and clutching my shirt.


Cons: The only thing that marred it for me was the slightly wooden acting of a couple of characters (esp. the medic). Make that two things actually; the last scene was utterly unnecessary. Other than to give you a start, it did nothing for the film but to mark it with "Prepped For Sequel" stamp so readily embraced by moveimakers these days. Without this faux pas, the film stands as a strong testament to the fact that you don't need a big budget and flashy special effects to make a darn good horror flick.

For a low budget movie it sure turned on the scares. It was erie and bloody and something that horror fans loves. People in jeopardy in the woods.
I really enjoyed it and was surprised at the suspense level and plot twists. I advise fans of the genre to take a look!

Independent film making is so difficult. I saw this on the SCI-FI channel last year and thought, what a great little film. The actors were just ok, it was all the Bloody Boy's great performance. they need to make a sequel !!