DVD Review: The Burrowers
The Burrowers (2008)
Studio: Lionsgate
DVD Release Date: April 21, 2009
Directed By: J.T. Petty
Cast: Karl Geary, William Mapother, Sean Patrick Thomas, Doug Hutchison & Clancy Brown
Review By: Annie Riordan
The Dakota Territories, 1879. Irish immigrant Fergus Coffey has won the love of the pretty Maryanne Stewart and his biggest immediate concern is convincing her father that he’ll make a good husband. But all that changes late one night when the settler’s outpost is attacked, apparently by Indians. When Coffey returns the next day to ask for his beloved’s hand, he finds Maryanne’s father, mother and two sisters dead, and Maryanne herself missing along with several other settlers.
Teaming up with experienced frontiersmen Will Parcher and John Clay, the rescue party sets out to retrieve the abducted. assuming they are among the scattered outlaw Indian nations. However, the few Natives they come across claim to have had nothing to do with the abduction of the white settlers, instead pointing the finger of blame at something called the Burrowers. Believing the Burrowers to be an as yet unheard of tribe, the men continue their search, and soon discover something far more horrific than rogue Indians lurking beneath the prairie floor.
Hmmm. Old West, cowboys, monsters underground… When I read the back of the Netflix envelope, I was half convinced that I was in for a silly Tremors rip-off, without Billy Drago to make it interesting. Shame on me for assuming.
Gorgeous cinematography combined with some damn fine solid acting from our ensemble cast makes The Burrowers riveting from scene one and wholly engaging right on through to the end. Moving at a slow – but never boring – pace, The Burrowers builds up a nice, sinister atmosphere with some punches of wince-worthy gore. And as the truth unfolds, it becomes downright gruesome. The Burrowers themselves may not be the most convincing monsters ever to grace the screen, but at least they’re original, and their cold, animal motives are truly gross-out upsetting.
There are several familiar faces to be found here, including William Mapother (The Grudge), Doug Hutchison (The X-Files) and Sean Patrick Thomas (Halloween: Resurrection) as the sole black guy who – amazingly – is NOT the first victim of the monsters. How refreshing. Also refreshing is the realistic Murphy’s Law feel of the story, in which everything that can go wrong will go wrong and a Hollywood Happy Ending is nowhere to be found.
Highly recommended to those who are weary of the same old slasher premise. You need not be a fan of the Western genre to enjoy this eerie thriller.
Brutal As Hell Rating:
3 1/2 out of 5
