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 good thought gone into the screenplay here, Bousman looking to add a little more to his film than merely being a "monster in the woods" shocker. There's also decent performances from the cast, which only comes to fruition when things finally go belly up in the last third.

Not one to recommend with any sort of confidence, especially to the tough horror loving crowd, but if you are after a "decent" "B" type horror to view while you are pottering about doing stuff in your lounge (or basements), then it proves itself to be more viable than some Syfy channel trash that is churned out at regular intervals. 5.5/10

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, didn’t quite work as a whole.

A camping trip in New Jersey takes a horrifying turn

A man from Philly (Stephen Moyer) takes his wife & two kids for a primitive vacation in the Pine Barrens, north of Atlantic City. Could the legend of the infamous Jersey Devil actually be true?

“The Barrens” (2012) is a creature feature in the tradition of “Wendigo” (2001), “13th Child” and “Mothman” (2010). While the later Jersey Devil flick “Dark Haul” is superior, this is a more conventional take on the subject and the second best I’ve seen featuring the cryptid, keeping in mind that I’ve only seen five such movies. (“13th Child” would place third, I reckon, with Syfy schlock “Carny” and the micro-budget “The Reeds” coming in after that). I should add that bits from “The Amityville Horror” and “The Blair Witch Project” are mixed into the proceedings (such as what happens to one of the main characters).

On the feminine front, Allie MacDonald is notable as daughter Sadie while Mia Kirshner is a’right as the wife.

Writer/director Darren Lynn Bousman originally intended to shoot in the actual Pine Barrens, but settled for Ontario for budgetary reasons. Despite the low-budget, he was able to create a sense of spookiness in the eldritch woods, augmented by a notable score with some elements reminiscent of Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now.” Regrettably, the film starts to stumble as it switches from the second act to the final one, but there’s enough good here to recommend it to those who liked the flicks cited above. I’d watch it any day over “The Blair Witch Project.”

Be sure to stick around for the post-credits scenes, which clarify the ending.

It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot at Rockwood Conservation Area and Albion Hills Conservation Park, a half hour drive west and northwest of Toronto respectively.

GRADE: B