TIMBER FALLS (Vivendi Visual)

Reviewed by AUDREY QUARANTA

Audrey sez…

MOVIE:
DVD PACKAGE:

Don’t go hiking. The woods at night, in a remote part of West Virginia inhabited only by animals and cabin-dwelling, religious-fanatic locals, are dangerous. Stay alert, don’t get caught having sex and please, don’t skinny-dip alone.

These are lessons many horror films have already taught us. We know them well by now, but TIMBER FALLS wants to teach us again. Along this hiking trail of doom, one encounters many tired fixtures of the genre—yet the specific story told is one of emotional and terrifying creativity, and this is not a film to be overlooked. Director Tony Giglio, whose previous helming experience ranges from IN ENEMY HANDS to SOCCER DOG: THE MOVIE, translates Dan Kay’s rich script (which, according to the DVD, he co-wrote but does not take credit for) into a grim, chilling tale that plays out smoothly on screen.

Sheryl (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 3D’s Brianna Brown) takes a weekend away from her stressful nursing job to go on a hiking/bonding trip with her boyfriend Mike (Josh Randall) in the wooded WV mountains. A sense of dread has already been established, so we are free to get to know the couple, who thankfully bicker, joke, discuss and emote like real people. They are, of course, both gorgeous, and the only ones who don’t enjoy seeing them get down and dirty are the Bible-lovin’ locals, one of whom spies on the pair while they get romantic by the campfire.

The next morning, Sheryl goes for a naked in a lake, and someone watches. She emerges cautiously, but before she can get dressed, this someone has captured her and taken her gosh-knows-where. Mike wakes up soon after and realizes all is not well. After confronting local troublemakers Brody (Branden R. Morgan) and Lonnie (Ryan McGee), who had harassed the couple the day before but claim to not know what happened to his girlfriend, Mike is injured and rescued by Ida (Beth Broderick of LOST). He and Sheryl had run into Ida the day before as well, and she is seemingly a safe person to be physically impaired around.

Oops, were we wrong! Ida goes from sweet to seriously crazy very quickly, and Mike is soon reunited with Sheryl in the bloodstained basement of Ida’s cabin. Awaiting his arrival is Ida’s husband Clyde (Nick Searcy from DEADLY END)—who we’ve seen before as well, posing as a friendly tourist. Completing this little brood of religious weirdos (not the satanists described on the DVD cover) is Ida’s brother Deacon (Sascha Rosemann), a scythe-wielding nut who lost his speech and had his face disfigured in an accident years before—a typical horror-flick character, but an effective menace nonetheless. Mike and Sheryl soon learn why they’re being held captive, and things become progressively sicker as the film continues, keeping us cringing while we hold onto hope for the couple, who—kudos to the filmmakers—we actually want to see live. It’s a good story, well-executed both behind and in front of the cameras, that hits hard and leaves a mark despite its shortcomings, the most irritating of which arrives at the very end in another overly familiar genre moment that should have hit the cutting room floor.

The disc offers Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound as well as Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, and the audio quality is topnotch. The widescreen picture is clear and well-lit for the most part; certain scenes appear a bit too dark, but this isn’t a major hindrance. The only extras are a somewhat misleading theatrical trailer and a behind-the-scenes documentary that proves to be surprisingly extensive. We hear from the entire main cast, as well as Giglio, producer Arnold Rifkin (who discusses the project’s conception) and FX artists Tim Phoenix and Elvis Jones, who treat us to a thorough look at the film’s well-executed gore. The actors are funny, upbeat and very likable (especially Broderick, who is just adorable), though it’s disappointing that Brown, despite how much she glows on screen, is so distracted and giggly during her interview. Sheryl is an interesting character, and it would have been great to learn more about her. By the end of this nearly hour-long feature, viewer fatigue may set in, but it’s better to see too much from behind the scenes than not enough.