The Barrens

7/15/2014

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, Bousma

3/14/2019

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._

3/5/2025

**_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