Rogue RIVER - ***

Directed by Jourdan McClure. Starring Michelle Page, Bill Moseley, Lucinda Jenney. Horror. USA. 2012. 77 Mins. Cert 18. Released 16th January 2012.

Trapped in the wilderness, car towed away by an over zealous sheriff and in need of a ride to the nearest town. Here is the basic premise for the latest backwoods/survival horror that is ROGUE RIVER. The only problem I have is that we have seen it all before and it has been done so much better.

I can't dislike this film despite it not offering anything new to the genre, it just never quite steps it up a gear. The casting is spot on, Bill Moseley as the unhinged Jon, his wife Lucinda Jenney as his cancer ridden sister and special credit must go to relative newcomer Michelle Page who is caught up in the midst of this disturbed and dysfunctional set up.

The story follows your typical peril - help - danger - escape path and never veers away from that trusted set up. It does suffer with the typical situation where you find yourself frustrated at the decisions made when a clear escape route is blatantly obvious yet it isn't taken.

In terms of visuals, the film looks fabulous. The outdoor scenes as Michelle Pages' character is driving out into the country, the quiet solitude of the river bank, the remoteness of it all, in this respect the film looks good.

I found myself getting quite frustrated with this film, ROGUE RIVER is a solid attempt to create a worthwhile addition to this style of horror yet it just falls short of the mark but not so much so that it makes it a bad film. To say that Jourdan McClure is a new director, with this movie he has made a very solid start into the horror genre and one that I hope he will build on to produce a more finished article in the future.

To summarize, if you like this style of horror, much like myself, you will find this an enjoyable experience and a decent attempt. If you are indifferent to this style of horror, you probably won't as you won't find much about it that hasn't been done before and been done better. I think it would be fair to say that this is more one for those whom enjoy their survival/revenge style of horror whom will find a reasonable movie but also a good start for a new director.

Disc Extras. There were no additional extras supplied.

Kristian Keogh.

GORE IN THE STORE
REVIEWS BY FANS FOR FANS
5 STAR FAB - 1 STAR RUBBISH