The Barrens

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._

**_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 mixed into the proceedings (such as what happens to one of the main characters). On the feminine front, Allie MacDonald is notable as daughter Sadie while Mia Kirshner is a’right as the wife. Writer/director Darren Lynn Bousman originally intended to shoot in the actual Pine Barrens, but settled for Ontario for budgetary reasons. Despite the low-budget, he was able to create a sense of spookiness in the eldritch woods, augmented by a notable score with some elements reminiscent of Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now.” Regrettably, the film starts to stumble as it switches from the second act to the final one, but there’s enough good here to recommend it to those who liked the flicks cited above. I’d watch it any day over “The Blair Witch Project.” Be sure to stick around for the post-credits scenes, which clarify the ending. It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot at Rockwood Conservation Area and Albion Hills Conservation Park, a half hour drive west and northwest of Toronto respectively. GRADE: B