http://www.tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/burrowers

The Burrowers

JT Petty

It is 1879. Coffey (Karl Geary), a young Irishman settled on the plains of
Dakota, is about to ask his sweetheart to marry him. His dream of wedded
bliss is shattered, however, when something or someone attacks the young
lady's family farm, kidnapping the women and children and slaughtering the
men. Coffey joins a group of local ranchers and cavalrymen in search of the
victims, who are assumed to be prisoners of a fierce band of natives.

Put off by the sadistic and single-minded tactics of self-appointed group
leader Henry Victor (Doug Hutchison), Coffey sets out with a couple of
ranchers (William Mapother and Highlander's Clancy Brown), as well as a
teenaged boy and a freed slave (Sean Patrick Thomas). They soon discover
mysterious holes in the ground and a catatonic girl buried in the dirt,
suggesting that they may not be hunting an ordinary tribe. A sinister enemy
seems to be stalking them from below the serene grassy plains of the vast
new frontier.

Director JT Petty sustains a level of dread and foreboding as his blend of
Western grit and unnerving horror unfolds across the isolated and expansive
Dakota Territory. The Burrowers is a creature feature within the context of
a true Western – in fact, it is ostensibly a terror take on John Ford's The
Searchers. A profound juxtaposition is forged between the horrific actions
of mankind and the mounting horror of what our hero and his posse are about
to discover. Cinematographer Phil Parmet, who also shot The Devil's
Rejects, evokes an eerie atmosphere in the dusty landscape, and glimpses of
pale, slashed skin and festering wounds are made more terrifying by the
accompanying, uncanny sound of churning earth.

Petty's previous film, S&MAN, was a much-praised entry in the 2006 Midnight
Madness lineup, and despite being denied a proper DVD release, it has
become a highly sought-after item in horror circles. The Burrowers, which
is Petty's fourth film and third narrative feature, is an accomplished work
that further confirms his talent.

Colin Geddes