The Burrowers
by J.T. Petty
List Price:
Our Price: $4.75
You Save: $10.23 (68%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.51 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Alexandra Edmo, Clancy Brown, David Busse, Jocelin Donahue, William MapotherDirector: J.T. Petty
Brand: MAPOTHER,WILLIAM
Writer: J.T. Petty
Producer: Alton Walpole
Producer: Jason Shuman
Producer: John Sacchi
Producer: Lauren Kisilevsky
Producer: Peter Block
Producer: Robert Hall
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 124 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-04-21
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate
DVD Reviews of The Burrowers
DVD Review: Decently Fair Attempt at a WESTERN Creature Feature...
Summary: 3 Stars
A Western-Horror-Monster movie hybrid? Consider me interested. I would love to see an old-fashioned Western gorefest with six-shooters a-blazing against several out worldly creatures. "The Burrowers" attempts to bring such a premise to fruition; it would be very cool to see monsters menacing the western genre. However, director/writer J.T. Petty has other ideas and goes in another way in portraying our flesh-eating antagonists in the film. One may say it is another take on the vampire myth.
Dakota Territories, 1879. When the Stewart family disappeared in the night, foul play at the hands of the local Native Americans are suspected. A prairie tracker named Will Parcher (William Mapother) hooks up with the local army led by Henry Victor (Doug Hutchinson) to try to find the missing clan. Joining the search is an outlaw named Clay (Clancy Brown), a former slave named Walnut, a boy and a lovesick young man named Coffey (Karl Geary). They cross the wide landscape looking for clues, Parcher and the men uncover living bodies in shallow graves; still alive but unable to move or even speak; they are proof that something demonic is going on. They learn that a mysterious pack of blood-thirsty creatures are now on their trail, looking to render them motionless, bury them alive so their organs can be liquefied and then eaten alive...
J.T. Petty resists the temptation to present us with a film whose potential for blood and gore is ignored in favor of characterization. While this is a monster film, and its key target audience would be horror fans, Petty tries to give his audience a quiet and moody tone than just presenting a visually stunning, fast-paced gorefest. His approach is to be commended, as we get to know the characters a little better and we may be subjected to some surprises in the western genre. Too bad we don't really get to see much of a gooey lunch buffet, but the direction does try to be methodical, as we see our heroes encounter other obstacles such as Indians to make things a little more complicated for our protagonist; yes, this is where some gunfights begin.
The characterization is decent enough, as we see our characters interact; they are still a squad of archetypes though. The screenplay does tend to favor emotional behavior and hysterics to generate a few scares. However, male bonding and conversation doesn't really aid in the development of suspense, Petty's intentions may be good but the script just fails a bit in mixing in its horror and dramatic elements. The film gets to be a bit of drag, unfortunately when there are no Native Americans or when the "Burrowers" aren't around, the film becomes somewhat of a bore.
The creatures looked like they are spider-like hairless, flesh-eating creatures. They do look creepy, and they are fascinatingly almost human-like. Their appearance does have that B-movie inspiration, and thankfully instead of CGI, Petty and company utilizes the use of puppets for their faces. But the creatures are animated via CGI, so when they move it gets a little cheap. Their habits are undoubtedly disquieting, as they cut your neck, poison you with their saliva, then as soon as you are immobile; they bury you, waiting for your insides to rot so that they may feed on your gooey innards while you are still awake. Kind of freaky if you asked me, some qualities seemed very similar to the Komodo Dragon and to the myths of vampire lore. The creatures can be driven off by bullets, but it won't kill them. The only way would be to drug them with bait and spear them to keep them in place until dawn. The only vulnerability they have is sunlight, and no, they don't sparkle as in the abysmal vampire movie "Twilight". Petty also brings the Native Americans to bring the `white man's' abuse of natural resources that leads to the creatures into preying on humans.
Petty goes into some historical unease as demonstrated in the film's last act, but instead of serving up some sympathy, it may just confuse the occasional movie watcher. I guess it would be because of the film's uneven direction and somewhat slow-moving screenplay. There are also several distracting elements and plot holes in the movie that any kind of climax that isn't carefully fleshed out may tend to frustrate and leave a dissatisfied sensation. I did look at the climax as a way to show that humans are capable of stupidity and hostile acts as monsters themselves. To its credit, "The Burrowers" attempt to do something compelling and different, but it was obvious that the film became hampered by its budget. It is a satisfying diversion but won't really stand out because of its lack of thrills and suspense.
Rental [3+ Stars]
Description of The Burrowers
The Dakota Territories. 1879. A handful of brave pioneers maintain isolated settlements in the badlands beyond civilization. Irish Immigrant Fergus Coffey is near to winning the hand of his beloved Maryanne when she is suddenly taken from him, her family brutally abducted in a nighttime attack on their homestead. Suspicion falls immediately on hostile Indians. Experienced Indian fighters Will Parcher and John Clay form a posse and set out to rescue the kidnapped settlers, taking along a naïve teenager hoping to prove himself a man, an ex-slave looking for his place, and their ranch-hand, Coffey. But as men vanish in the night, and horrific evidence accumulates with the dead and dying, the group discovers that their prey is far more terrifying than anything human, and their prospects are far more terrible than death.Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
The HordeMPI; Release date: 2010-12-21; DVD
Best price: $6.82
Price in other shops:
The PresenceLGF; Release date: 2011-10-04; DVD
Best price: $8.62
Price in other shops:
Alien RaidersWarner Brothers; Release date: 2009-02-17; DVD
Best price: $3.31
Price in other shops:
SplinterMagnolia Pictures; Release date: 2009-04-14; DVD
Best price: $7.51
Price in other shops:
2:13 (DVD + Digital Copy)EBH; Release date: 2011-06-28; DVD
Best price: $3.58
Price in other shops:
AlteredNBC Universal; Release date: 2006-12-19; DVD
Best price: $1.00
Price in other shops:
Dead BirdsSony; Release date: 2005-03-15; DVD
Best price: $4.25
Price in other shops:
Dog SoldiersFirst Look Pictures; Release date: 2007-09-04; DVD
Best price: $4.41
Price in other shops:
OutpostSony; Release date: 2008-03-11; DVD
Best price: $4.98
Price in other shops:
DeathwatchLions Gate; Release date: 2004-06-22; DVD
Best price: $6.80
Price in other shops: