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SHALLOW GROUND (2005) Director: Sheldon Wilson Hacktors: Timothy V Murphy, Stan Kirsch, Patricia McCormack Cutting Remarks: Remember The X-Files at its most frightening? That's the kind of movie we've got here. The premise is intriguing, right from the off: a teenager walks into a smalltown sheriff's office, naked and covered in blood. We soon discover that this strange character has the ability to bleed in all kinds of inventive and disturbing ways. Furthermore, if you touch his blood, weird things start to happen. Sheriff Jack Sheppard (Murphy), whose girlfriend is still missing after being kidnapped by a maniac, is suitably freaked out.       Shallow Ground is one of the most unnerving horror flicks in some time, largely because for most of its running time you've got no idea what to expect. Is the supernatural stuff at work here? Who's been killing people in the woods in horrendously sadistic fashions? To reveal anything here would be downright wrong.       The film's impact is strengthened by a classy look, which completely belies its low budget. The genuinely scary first half leads to an excellent pivotal revelation. One detail involving fingerprints, in particular, is sheer genius. From then on, the script runs with its central concept well, surviving a slight sag around the three-quarters mark to deliver a nasty, gore-tastic climax. While we're being picky, there's a bizarre moment when a cop freaks out and kills someone and it's all taken rather lightly by his comrades. Oh, and Timothy V Murphy's accent is downright weird, jumping between Irish and American like a goose on a pogo-stick.       Such issues are unimportant, though, given that Shallow Ground is one of the best horror movies in a while. Look out for a great ending, which betrays this outwardly serious affair as a gore-fest which just wants to have fun. The final scene is straight outta the Evil Dead flicks. Therefore, it's a movie after our own heart, liver and spleen. Release Date: Is already out on DVD in the States: see link below. Hits disc in the UK on October 17, 2005. DVD Details: Audio commentary by director Sheldon Wilson and cinematographer John P. Tarver, audio commentary by Sheldon Wilson, composer Steve London and sound designer/editor Richie Nieto, "Making of" featurette, film notes, trailer, widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs, stereo 2.0 audio, optional 5.1 and DTS, and subtitles for the hard of hearing. Not a bad batch. [Check it out at Amazon US] [Check it out at Amazon UK] [Reviews Menu] [Home] © Copyright Slasherama 2002-present