Arbor Demon

source: Arbor Demon

'Arbor Demon' (aka 'Enclosure') drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing and quite creative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive. It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws are here present in those films, that to me was very weak, its worst elements being pretty awful, with a lot more wrong than right. 'Arbor Demon' is not great, or good, has a fair share of problems (fairly big ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are however a few decent, even good, qualities in 'Arbor Demon'. Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric, likewise with the decent way it's shot. The music is suitably spooky and quirky and doesn't distract at all from the atmosphere, while not exactly enhancing it. Found too that 'Arbor Demon' started off fairly promisingly with a few effectively spooky moments. However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary it got. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their irritating and illogical decision making and behaviours insult the intelligence. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The acting is also terrible, Jake Busey in particular was just bizarre. The effects are ropy at best. Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the second half and never is it exciting. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense. A lot of the film completely fails to make sense, both in underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations. The villains are poorly used and pose very little threat. The last third badly sags in momentum and the atmosphere completely falls flat, though the end does convey the message better than expected. In conclusion, very weak but not unwatchable. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Jake Busey was the only saving grace. I enjoyed his character and acting. Would love to see more of his films.

If you go down to the woods today you will find - an angry bear? a Sasquatch? something even worse? A night-time massacre to start with. This ultra-low budget slightly off-beat horror film lacks nothing in the originality department, but best give it a miss if you prefer happy endings. Mr and Mrs Not-So-Newly-Weds decide to go on a camping trip before he goes on the road for six months with his gee-tar. When they get there, strange things happen. That night a group of rednecks start making a big noise with their guns, then an even bigger noise with their screams. Something has attacked them, something that is incredibly strong and is as happy in the trees as on the ground. Our hero and his missus save one of the guys, who has a severely injured leg. This turns out to be a case of no good deed goes unpunished, but at least he tells them what is going on. Out there are creatures or at least entities from before the White Man came who are intent on doing something to pregnant women in connection with an ancient ritual. Guess who is pregnant and hasn't told her husband? You need know no more at this point, but expect the unexpected.

Well it had an interesting premise I'll give you that, overall OK execution but sadly it couldn't deliver much. For a in the woods horror, Arbor Demon is more interesting than most but fails to provoke, and also I think it fell a little short as well. Perhaps if the last act would go on for a little longer and genuinely focus on that we could have had a better experience with it. There was room for more, maybe better writing, or you could blame it on the directing part, because either way you're looking at it, you feel that you could have gotten more, better! So all in all it is a hard movie to recommend to anyone. Watch it at your own peril. It's definitely not bad, but it doesn't go all the way. Kinda stops two thirds of the way. Cheers!

If this were strictly a horror movie, it could be criticized for starting out very slow. We get lots of background info about the leads, a married couple consisting of a wife who is newly pregnant, and a rock-band husband who is dedicated to a life of footloose irresponsibility, and is opposed to the concept of settling down and raising a family. He does not know that his wife is pregnant, and she is understandably reluctant to tell him. She wants a family; he doesn't. She has mysterious and wonderful new life growing inside of her, and he wants to go on tour and play music and have fun, as he always has. It's not that he's a bad person: he just doesn't want to grow up and give up rock-and-roll NeverNeverLand. This couple goes into the woods and encounters a band of Lost Boys carousing, shooting off guns, drinking, whooping-and-hollering, riding noisy 4-wheeler off-road vehicles, and just being total jackasses and jerks--evading responsibility for their lives and proud of it. When will they grow up? Never. Opposed to this band of boys who can't grow up, dangerous creatures lurk in the woods, hidden and deadly. The key scene in the film occurs when one of these creatures slowly reveals herself to Dana (the pregnant protagonist), and gradually morphs from monster into something more recognizably human. Now less threatening, the female creature touches Dana's belly, establishing the identification between her condition and primordial nature. This, I think, is the basic paradigm of this symbolic fable. The world of Man is so split off that Nature has become monstrous and deadly. The film is a fable expressed through a horror movie. But really, the same could be said of many "horror movies." If a viewer is expecting a pure action horror, the film is likely to be disappointing. But there is much more going on here. And, thankfully, this is not another found-footage shaky-cam horror flick. Cinematography is good (as is the direction and acting). I'll likely watch this again.

"Arbor Demon" weaves a tale of disappearances, secrets, legends, and "there's-something-in-them-thar-woods" horror. A husband and his wife, who is harboring a deep secret, go on a camping trip to celebrate their anniversary. During their journey through the woods, it would seem something is following them. During their first night, they hear some ominous noises...as well as shots fire. They think nothing of it, and it is on their second night the horror really begins. It would appear the rabble-rousers have move dangerously close to their campsite and are firing major sized weapons in their direction. It is also while spying on their "neighbors," the couple witness the total destruction of the other campsite. It was then the movie just about lost me...due to stupidity. Had the director been smart, he should have left this story to the couple; what exactly was going on and what was the wife's big secret she was willing to take to the grave with her. Instead, they had to * it all up with a backstory involving one of the rowdy rebels (played by Jake Busey). The movie is rated "R" for minimal violence and language. 50/50 call on this one. It's not the worst picture you'll ever see, but it could have bee so much better.

PROS: One of the coolest parts of this movie was the original idea. The whole premise of the movie was very new and very exciting. It sort of took on a completely different vibe than most other movies. The thing that really propelled the movie was the way that the story stayed creative from beginning to end. Although the ending wasn't perfect, it also was very conclusive to the message and the overall meaning of the film. CONS: The biggest issues weren't necessarily bad, but rather that they are very average when above average is needed. For example, the acting fell flat in many categories. The main couple in the film did a great job at showing romantic chemistry, but not chemistry with combined fear. That factor would've been the make it or brake it portion of the film, and it was the brake it portion. A lot falls on the acting, when acting isn't good you have a hard time following along with the build up in tension or the resolution. These factors all combined lead to an average attempt at a creative script. www.chorror.com

Worse movie ever seen. avoid this at all costs...i am not joking, you will end up wanting to go home and kick your dog.

I didn't bother to read any of the other reviews, but 4.1??? This was done on a budget, but considering the premise, it didn't need one. Costumes were good, setting was the woods. Mostly 3 actors. Fionna Dourif, Brad's daughter, looks very much like him. Not gonna win any beauty contests, but she owns it... and carried this film handily. Jake Busey played himself. It worked. The husband can fade back into obscurity. The plot's been done, but I thought it was well directed and edited. Suspense was good, and the timing was right on. Allow that's it's a B horror film, and it works well above average. FF is my favorite button, and I barely used it. Good watch when you're in the mood for the genre.