Rogue River DVD Review R4 (Pinnacle Films)
From the opening sequence, you know this film is gonna be intense and something that will deliver. Call it Torture Porn, brutal horror thriller or whatever you like but this film does leave a mark and leaves it well making you not forget what you have seen long after the film has finished. It’s a film that delivers in shocks, and on your end of your seat story-line with solid acting and directing. Rogue River is about a girl named Mara(Michelle Page) who goes Rogue River in Oregon to scatter her farther’s ashes and find herself stranded. Now without transport and communication, a stranger appears and takes her to his place for the night and well what happens next is not what she had in mind.
Michelle Page delivers an amazing performance that shows off how talented she is an actor and why she will be one of the next big things in Hollywood. You feel for her and what she is going for and you want her to escape to safety. She plays being in peril real well and adds that’s special touch to the movie. Real life couple Bill Moseley and Lucinda Jenney who play Jon and Lea in the film are totally believable who take Mara in and give her pretty much hell. They can switch from kind to evil effortly and Bill character to me has the best line in the movie.
All the minor players from Michael Cudlitz to the legendary Michael Rooker who has a great little role as the Gas Attendant add to the solid performances all ready in the film. Who would of thought that Art Alexakis from Everclear could act, but he does and he does it well Chris Coy is great as Mara brother Andrew and you see why he is getting some good work at the moment.
The film is well thought out, the pacing of the film is perfect as give’s the right balance of shocks and tension to keep the viewer engaged. The score by Jermaine Stegall is just right. It fits the movie perfectly. Now the cinematography by Brian Hamm is amazing, he makes this movie look so good, that it looks like a movie with a higher budget. The direction by Jourdan McClure is excellent, he hands it like a pro. The film is not a gory film but uses other ways of conveying what is happening to Mara and to me I think it only adds to the film. The Oregon landscape is a perfect location for this kind of film. It’s landscape, and beauty adds to the film as you think its a great place to be but not knowing their could be evil people like Jon & Lea living here.
The ending is well played out The screener looks fantastic, knowing Pinnacle Films they will make sure the film and sound are first class which is evident in their release of the film The Perfect Host. This is my favorite horror movie of the year, it delivers horror fans with the goods and with Michelle Page giving the best performance of the year. Comes out on the 10th of February 2012 on DVD via Pinnacle Films. It’s worth checking out.
