Writer: Christopher Schrack (Screenplay)
Starring: Thomas Daniel, Andrew Roth, Justin Tully, Liana Werner-Gray
Plot: Cass and Mark venture out into a secluded area of the country for a long weekend and begin to think someone might be stalking them.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Didn’t See That Coming
Story: Backwater starts with a young couple Cass (Werner-Gray)) and Mark (Tully) camping in the woods. The get away takes a turn when the couple hear someone calling for help leading to them going in search of where it came from. After splitting up Mark meets Glen (Roth) a fisher who was the one who called out with both just come off friendly and Cass meeting Deputy Helm (Daniel) who offers some friendly advice before the couple can get back to their trip
But this is a horror film we don’t want friendly trip in the woods do we? No well the first night in the woods the couple hear noises outside their tent and while listening they come under attack by a man with a knife, scared, blind because of the dark the couple must survive against an unknown enemy with no where to run
Backwater brings us what seems like a rather standard horror, couple in the woods being stalked but when we see the twist we will be left shocked because you simply will not see it coming, and I mean that you would never think this while watching. I liked how this film threw the particular twist in which makes it stand out unlike any other in the genre.
Actor Review
Justin Tully: Mark is one half of the couple who go into the woods for their trip away together, when he hears a noise he wants to investigate but finds just a friendly fisherman, when things go bad at night he ends up pushing Cass into running but leaving her as he searches for more answers. Mark is a character that would make you wonder if there are even horror movies in the world he lives in because his choices are so anti horror you wouldn’t believe it. Justin does a good job in this role.
Liana Werner-Gray: Cass is the girlfriend of Mark and the other half of the couple out to enjoy the weekend, she never wants to investigate anything happening and is quite happy for Mark to leave him alone. Liana does a great job in the role especially with what happens in the film.
Thomas Daniel: Deputy Helm is the police deputy that runs into Cass and offers a few words of advice while staying in the woods, but could he be the one stalking them in the woods? Thomas does a solid job in the supporting role.
Andrew Roth: Glen is a mild mannered fisherman who Mark runs into on his search for someone screaming in the worlds, but could he be the person stalking the couple in the woods? Andrew does a solid job in the supporting role.
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Support Cast: Backwater really doesn’t have any supporting characters until the final act of the film.
Director Review: Christopher Schrack – Christopher does a good job bringing us a horror that goes in a direction you will not see coming.
Horror: Backwater has good suspension building up through the horror angles in the story.
Mystery: Backwater creates one mystery after another because just when one gets solved another one opens up.
Thriller: Backwater keeps you wondering where the story is going throughout.
Settings: Backwater puts the characters in the middle of the woods which all works for the horror genre.
Special Effects: Backwater uses good special effects when required but never uses them for the sake of it.
Suggestion: Backwater is one for the horror fans to try because you will get a surprise. (Horror Fans Try)
Best Part: The second half twist.
Worst Part: It felt like it would just become a standard film to start with.
Believability: No
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Budget: $40,000
Runtime: 1 Hour 39 Minutes
Overall: This will shock you with where it goes
Rating