Darren Lynn Bousman is a filmmaking machine. Last year, he gave us 11-11-11 and Mother's Day. And in 2012, we're getting two more horror films from the Saw-alum, including The Devil's Carnival and The Barrens. Bousman also has at least three more projects on deck for 2013-14. Talk about busy.
Even more fascinating is that nearly every film on his resume is different, playing around with different subgenres within the horror playground. His latest entry is The Barrens, and it's actually one of his best films. Borrowing pieces and parts of the folktale of The Jersey Devil, the film follows a broken family as they trek into the wilderness on a camping trip, but soon worry they're not alone.
Painted largely as a monster movie, with a few clever shades borrowed from The Amityville Horror, The Barrens explores the nature of fear while also expressing a few metaphors about family turmoil and regret. The movie actually manages to take a few refreshing twists and turns, leaving audiences guessing where the plot is actually headed.
The performances are quite good. True Blood's Stephen Moyer delivers an outstanding performance as the father, Richard Vineyard. His slow mental breakdown is incredibly creepy to watch, especially when you begin to question his motives. He's complemented by Mia Kirshner (The Vampire Diaries), who plays the mother. Oddly, her performance is fairly vacant in the first two-thirds of the picture. It's not until the final act where she comes out of her shell. The two kids in the picture, played by Allie MacDonald (House at the End of the Street) and Peter DaCunha (who's set to star in Home Alone 5), also deliver naturalistic performances. DaCunha is a particular highlight as his reactions to the on-screen violence feel completely real.
Unfortunately, like many Darren Lynn Bousman films, The Barrens suffers from pacing issues. The entire middle act drags a bit, slowing down the narrative and drying out any brewing tension. The film meanders to the point of becoming repetitive, and only manages to pay off thanks to a few solid twists.
The film's monster is also not seen nearly enough. In fact, we only catch odd glimpses of the beast, usually in quick-cut takes or in the shadows. It's understandable to keep the monster hidden to add tension and dread to the picture, but we never quite get a decent look at the beast. That said, the few glimpses we do see are a tad silly, so it's possible the beast was cut back to reduce any audience laughter.
The Barrens is the very definition of a lightweight horror picture. The story is simple. The characters are a tad thin. And there's not much conflict. But as a midnight movie, The Barrens should prove intense and fun. The cast is terrific, and the moody atmosphere and '80s-like cinematography add gravity to the narrative. While not quite a hidden a gem, The Barrens is certainly a must-see for fans of monster movies.
The film comes to Blu-ray courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment. The disc is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, encoded in 1080p/AVC and mixed in 5.1 Dolby True HD. The two-disc set also includes a DVD copy of the film.
Shot on 16MM, The Barrens has a bit of an intentionally dated, early '80s slasher look to it, namely Friday the 13th. The gritty, grainy image adds quite a bit of texture and dread to the film – something that's often lost among modern horror films, which are usually shot using HD cameras. The encode handles the grainy image perfectly, with no compression or banding noted. That said, the image does succumb to some crush every now and then. This is likely the result of lower resolution photography, and not the result of the encode, though. For what it is, The Barrens looks outstanding on Blu-ray.
The film's 5.1 TrueHD track aims to impress with moody, atmospheric surround cues, heavy, thumping bass and clean dialogue. The film's folk-infused soundtrack is wonderfully mixed among the five channels, giving weight the film's inherent tension. The ambient sounds of the forest setting are also fully realized in this mix, adding a few fun layers to the film's many jumps and jolts.
Extras, sadly, are lacking. There's a commentary track with writer/director Darren Lynn Bousman and director of photography Joseph White. It's a solid listen that explores the mythology of the Jersey Devil, the production, designing the script and working with the cast. While a touch dry at times, the track is filled with plenty of insight and trivia, and should please fans of Bousman's other tracks.
The disc concludes with a series of trailers for other Anchor Bay titles, and a deleted scene, also with commentary by Bousman and White. At just 3-minutes, the scene is definitely worth a peek.
R.L. Shaffer is a writer at IGN. He enjoys a good monster movie, but hates camping. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook and MyIGN for quotes, rants, reviews, news and more!
The Barrens could have used a little more monster imagery, and a few more victims, too. But this creepy addition to the monster genre shouldn't go unwatched by genre fans.
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