As the contributor behind a regular feature on our film blog called “Loud and Bobnoxious Cult Movies,” Bob Ignizio will regularly contribute reviews of b-movies and horror flicks that might not have gotten the attention they deserved when they were initially released. Whether the films just had a short run in theaters or went straight to video, Ignizio is here to provide commentary. What follows is his review of The Burrowers, J.T. Petty’s film that’s equal parts Western and monster movie.
It’s kind of depressing that one of the best horror movies of the year, J.T. Petty’s The Burrowers, wound up going straight to video while so many crappy fright flicks got a chance to play on the big screen. Of course, some of the reasons are obvious: this isn’t a remake or a sequel and there are no young, sexy stars in the cast. Studio politics may also have played a role, as the executive at Lionsgate who gave this movie the green light left the company prior to its release. Whatever the reasons, this is a film that deserves to be seen.
Set in the Dakota territories just a few years after the Civil War, The Burrowers is a blend of classic Westerns like The Searchers and serious-minded ensemble horror films like John Carpenter’s The Thing and Spielberg’s Jaws, with a touch of George Romero style social commentary thrown in for good measure. A family of settlers is besieged by unseen attackers. Some are killed outright; others are taken away into the night. When the carnage is discovered the next morning, it’s assumed the attack was carried out by Indians despite numerous pieces of evidence to the contrary. A search party is hastily formed, headed up by racist cavalry leader Henry Victor (Doug Hutchinson) and his men, including former slave Callaghan (Sean Patrick Thomas). There’s also a contingent of settlers including the grizzled John Clay (Clancy Brown), veteran Indian fighter Will Parcher (William Mapother), Dobie (Galen Hutchison), the young son of the woman Parcher is courting, and Coffey (Karl Geary), a farmer who was betrothed to one of the missing settlers.
This article appears in May 20-26, 2009.
