The Barrens

Devils and Deers and Bears - Oh my!

Alright, lets cut to the chase here, The Barrens, a spin on The Jersey Devil legend, is no uber great movie. Chastised and frowned upon by much of the horror community, you have to wonder just what was expected of a production like this - a pic that's early notices suggested it was never going to shake the earth of the horror crowd?

The Barrens is competent film making in the context of the budget afforded it. When you look at some of the films that have been churned out on the various sci-fi and horror channels out their in cable land, then this definitely has more going for it.

True! There's the usual implausibilities and director and writer Darren Lynn Bousman has pacing problems, but there's ...

An (at least fractionally) complex horror story based on a cryptid I'm familiar with, but have never seen put to screen before. Cast's not great, but not worth complaining about either. The central creep is held in reserve, almost certainly for monetary reasons, but it works in The Barrens' favour. I won't be revisiting this Jersey Devil horror, but I did have an okay time with it.

Final rating:½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didnt quite work as a whole.