Customer Reviews

Shallow Ground

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Shallow ground only cost 78,000 to make, but you couldnt tell just by watching it. all the effects, camera work, and acting are all far beyond what ive come to expect from straight to DVD horror.

It feels like a callback to classic horror, from the hundreds of gallons of blood, to the rural forest setting.

theres about 8 different storylines going on throughout the movie and you might lose track of some of the subplots as things go on. it might have been trying to say too much at times, but things always stay interesting. basically its the story of a backwoods slayer capturing and torturing those unfortunate enough to wander alone, but there are also strong super natural elements at work. to reveal to much about that here would ruin a lot of the fun to be had with the movie. ill just say it was all very well done (never cheesy or campy), although some of it could've been explained a little better.

this movie is full of interesting twists and great gore effects. the story kept me quessing till the end. everything was very well done, and considering the budget restraints, this is a HUGE achievement.

This low budget straight to video horror film was quite intresting, it has an amazing and inventive storyline I don't think that I can complain about that. The plot at the begining was mysterious and the suspence was at an all time high, you just wanted to know what was going to happen next. The story begins when the staff and two policemen are ready to leave the small town police station when something disturbing happens, a naked teenage boy thats covered in blood enters the station, everybody is just curious about this boy but he doesn't seem to talk and their is also a missing persons report that seems to be conected to this boy. I won't say anything more as not to ruin the story but what you get with this film is alot of blood, gore and nudity and an original story which your not going to get from a hollywood horror film since they like to remake everything they can get in their greedy little hands. While Shallow ground is nothing ground breaking it was still good and I deffinently recomend this to fans of low budget horror.

SHALLOW GROUND is an independent shocker heavy in atmospheric chills with a complex if ultimately confusing storyline. Featuring a rather talented cast of unknown actors (with the exception of Patty McCormack, best known for her role as the demonic child in the original BAD SEED), the movie accomplishes some frightening scenes in broad daylight, which is an accomplishment in itself, and some gory scenes of mutilation and terror. It ultimately is a tale of the dead getting revenge on a murderer who has been making people disappear, with some additional plotlines that somehow tie in. While the movie never totally explains itself, it does manage to offer some originality and some subtle horror in its delivery. Its ending is rather ambiguous and hurried, but SHALLOW GROUND is better than many of the horror movies we've been saturated with lately.

A low budget horror film (less than $100,000) which manages to succeed on at least one unique level (the bloody boy character) but also borrows liberally from other classic horror flicks like Texas Chainsaw Massacre (dinner with corpses)and Scream (murdering black hooded figure/dead woman hung from tree). The acting was pretty blah and certain concepts were stretched a bit (the "identity" of the bloody boy), but I'd recommend this for a rental over most other straight to dvd horror.

I was initially going to give this three stars. It appeared original and genuinely creepy, with an interesting premise and decent acting. It did resolve itself in the end, even if not the most believable of ways. But then came "The Twist", which literally happens in the last few seconds before the credits roll. As most reviewers here, I was very confused by it, so I went to the commentary to see what the filmmakers had to say about the ending. Surprise surprise, the director refused to explain it, saying only that he was amused the audience was baffled by it. Now let me translate that from Le Artiste into English for you: "I didn't really know how to write a decent ending for my movie, so I ended it with the first thing that popped into my mind, simply because it looked cool. I realize it makes absolutely no sense and doesn't tie in to anything that's happened in my movie before. But to save face I'm just going to pretend like there's some great deep meaning hidden there, and that all you people are just too stupid to comprehend it, or to appreciate my genius." Riiiiight. Two stars, genius.

Shallow Ground (Sheldon Wilson, 2004)

It sometimes pains me to pick up straight-to-DVD horror releases. Not because they suck-- though, assuredly, most of them do-- but because I inevitably compare something like Shallow Ground (or the more recent Deadbirds) to (a) the complete unwatchable trash that shows up as "Sci-Fi Channel Original Movies" and (b) the complete only-slightly-more-watchable crap that's coming out in theaters under the horror banner. I can't begin to tell you how much more Shallow Ground deserved to be on a big screen than did the recent Hills Have Eyes or Dark Water remakes or, Jehosephat help us, Haute Tension. Yeah, it's got its problems, but when you put it up against any of the three other films mentioned, or scores of others, it's Oscar material.

The plot: a small town, made into a boomtown by an influx of temporary workers building a dam, is deflating again after the dam is finished. Sherriff Jack Sheppard (Skeleton Man's Timothy Murphy), his deputies Stuart (character actor Stan Kirsch) and Laura (Lindsey Stoddart, whose biggest role until now has been a minor part in The Ring), and town paramedic Darby Owens (Scab's Natalie Avital) are all getting ready to go their separate ways when a stranger wanders into town, naked and covered in blood. Suddenly, there's a reason to hang around town, especially when Jack starts to suspect that to silent man killed Amy Underhill (Tara Killian, of American Pie Presents Band Camp), whose murder still haunts him. The truth, however, is a whole lot weirder...

The script could have used a good rewrite or two for the purpose of patching up holes and doing a bit more character development. This, however, is true of a lot of microbudget movies, and we can't really give points off for it here any more than we did for El Mariachi. Besides, lack of character development is pretty much a staple in horror films, no? I can't help but think, though, this one's got enough stubs from which real characters could grow to make a rewrite (and a remake, preferably with the same connections) worthwhile, in the same way El Mariachi grew into Desperado. But if you look past the script's shortcomings and a relatively silly final scene, this is a fantastic little shocker-- well thought out, with enough plot twists to keep you looking like you're trying to follow Wimbledon, some decent acting (coupled with some scream queen action, but again, in a horror flick that's kind of forgivable), and a good deal of convention-flaunting.

I liked this movie a whole bunch, and I hope it ends up getting the attention it deserves. It's the kind of fresh, new horror film that Hollywood needs to understand is what's going to hook a new generation. Cranking out crappy remakes of good films is going to do nothing more than inspire contempt and desensitization. *** ½

Movie has it's spooky moments but it doesn't make the cut for me. And the ending was even worst. All the blood and gore couldn't save it,but I will say the story is different from other movies.

I'm 20 minutes from the end and i don't care how it turns out this is still a piece of garbage on any budget. On a positive note the actors seem to sincerely try to polish this turd to no avail. Pay attention to who is giving the great reviews on the dvd it's usually a clue as to what awaits you. At least it was a library rental.

After reading some of the positive reviews on this page, I eagerly went the Unbox route to view Shallow Ground. Boy am I glad I'm not stuck with a worthless disk. Although this movie starts out promisingly, it taxes the patience of the viewer and never pays off. The frustrations are of two types: 1) nobody in the movie can figure out what's going on, and 2) neither can the the viewer. Why did the naked boy walk into the police station oozing blood from every pore? Dunno. Why do people become homicidal and/or extremely stupid when they touch said blood? Search me. But surely, the frenzied activity on the screen will result in everything being resolved, right? Surely, the two naked women strung up from tree limbs will not have suffered without explanation, right? Not on your life. And just when you think the agony of watching terrible acting and baffling behavior has come to an end, the movie finishes with a scene from out of nowhere. Reminds me of another horror movie with a perplexing ending...the viewer was rewarded with a fade-out of a cemetery caretaker looking into the camera and laughing his @#$ off. Well, it's not funny. If you waste time or money on this, the joke is on you. The only things that prompted me to give it two stars (instead of one) are the vividly photographed scenery and, for once, some realistic-looking blood. Must be where the budget went.

What happens when you give a great idea no budget? One of two things.
1. A poorly executed movie with some quick scares
2. Brilliantly crafted scenes from a director that did more than just "work with what was available".

This movie is the latter, with gusto. I'm a diehard horror buff and this movie hit all the right buttons. After winning the 2004 Dead Before Dawn (?) award, this movie landed on my screen and scared me silent...and I'm a talker.

With the small budget, this movie made money irrelevant with some damn-near brilliant cuts and directorial choices that kept the movie from being cheesy at any point.

With a few quibbles about pacing, this movie otherwise shines in a genre filled with knock-offs and second-hand ideas.

Kudos to the cast and crew on a great movie. I will be watching it again soon.