The Reeds (2010) Reviews

• The Reeds

  Scarecrow-882010-04-04

  Well, this one sets things up as you might expect. We see someone setting up traps in a river with surrounding land containing reeds. A group of London adults wish to unwind on the river with the reeds, and they are looking for a pub. Before even leaving, their boat has suspicious looking brats who are rude and silent, not moving as our cast demands. They hire the boat from Mr. Croker who, at first, doesn't seem to have one available, only to steer them to the one with the kids inside. Once the kids remove themselves, our cast head off on the river, and soon come across a path that all of us viewers scream at the screen in unison, "Noooooo, don't take the path! Don't go over there!" But, they take the path and come across a metal spike which breaks through their boat and into antagonistic Chris(Will Mellor), the bloke whose temper is short and bark loud. Chris' chances of survival are slim as any movement would cause him to gusher as the stake is completely through his stomach. Even worse is the fact that they are located in the middle of nowhere. Joe(Daniel Caltagirone), operating the boat, searches for help as those kids run about, finding them around a fire as another mysterious presence, with a shotgun, pursues them. Meanwhile, a gasoline canister and a flare gun end up igniting a fire on board the boat, an explosion, two dead bodies, Helen(Scarlett Alice Johnson)is burned badly, Nick(OT Fagbenle)twists his ankle while seeking out a boat he sees from a distance, and the kids continue running free as if someone is chasing after them. We soon discover that something is off as characters see themselves with darkened eyes, the killer is in two different places at the same time, Laura(Anna Brewster)witnesses a horrifying crime involving the kids being blown away by the shotgun-toting killer in a slicker, with Nick finding Croker, hoping to go for help. Laura also watches in horror as Joe and his girlfriend Helen wind up in a most unfortunate fate. Laura's significance in the plot, regarding her being found as a child, raised as an orphan, is important as it pertains to unraveling the odd goings-on and she will need to finish a deed long overdue as it concerns the killer. Really, "The Reeds" has a weird structure. We all know, I imagine, pretty easily who the killer is..it's just too obvious. And, we can see that there are specters loose, and that a crime has been buried away, but the haunting remains..restless spirits desiring payback. This movie has one of those loopy time paradoxes where a terrible event continues in a cycle seemingly never to end unless someone is able to break it..the only witness to a crime is the one who must disrupt the ongoing cycle. But, and this is what induced my eye-rolling..the filmmakers couldn't allow for this to happen, as we must always have a twist which pulls the rug out from under us. One cycle begets another and all that jazz. The structure of this movie, which constantly sends us around in circles, is a bit of a mess and eventually I was tired of it all. Maybe others will find this kind of movie a refreshing spin on the whole "six young adults take a boating trip, meeting their doom at the hands of a psycho in a slicker, with few places to run, caught in a place unknown to them", instead of irksome as I did. One direction the movie didn't go in, I was figuring it would, was setting up the kids as possible threats to the adults of "The Reeds", instead they contribute in a different fashion. I did find the underwater cages containing the skeletal remains of victims rather effective. I also thought the setting was perfect for a thriller..too bad, the filmmakers had to go and craft such a convoluted, puzzling scenario to complicate matters.

• Is there any Reeds?

  darrenwalker802010-03-30

  As usual some of these reviews seem placed by people attached to the project! There's a lot of Love or Hate hmmmm. This is often the case with these lower budget films but... For what its worth, this is a solidly performed low budget horror with a less than solid conclusion. The journey is fun to watch and compelling although the cinematography is slightley dated. For high-end scares / gore / violence (those things you expect from indie horror) you may find this lacking. But then so are most big budget Hollywood offerings. If you like the genre, this is far from the worst flick out there. Worth a spin. ******

• Solve the enigma

  bradley-tepper2010-03-30

  This movie could've been called enigma - in a positive way - a supernatural low-budget horror that takes thought to work out what's happening to who and why once past the half-way mark. The story? Five or six guys and gals from London go on a jaunt on the canals and watery inlets of Norfolk - think Everglades without the crocs - and slowly discover that as the movie straplines go, 'there's something in the reeds' and 'they can play tricks on you.' Re what it is and why the guys & gals need to be worried we keep guessing, guessing some more, and the blood just keeps flowing. Maybe there's too much guesswork for some but the lead girl pulls off the plot-moves passably well and the others make it a totally bearable experience, specially the first half of the movie. My humble analysis is that 90% of people will like the first half of the movie, and only 50% will like the second: I liked it enough to comment and give a review but then I don't like movies with stars and nothing to say. This had something to say and even though it may have tied itself up in Gordian knots it's worth a 6 or 7.

• Something lurking in The Reeds

  chesneytim2010-01-31

  B+ effort for director Cohen who I haven't seen over here before. The leads are pretty likable and the movie looks nice in a theater: expansive without the expensive: it's got some production value in there somewhere. As for story/plot, it certainly keeps you guessing, although perhaps I'd have preferred a few less red herrings and, like the other reviewer, I wanted more direction on whether this was going psychological, supernatural or simply natural. It sits somewhere in between the first two IMHO. I haven't seen all the other Horrorfest offerings this year but know people who have: I suspect this is at the intelligent (British?!?) end of After Dark's offering and it's certainly got enough nasty bits to keep horror fans - including yours truly - happy. Yup - worth the price of a theater ticket, maybe even the popcorn.

• The wind that shakes the Reeds is a subtle 1980s vibe

  NathalieP2010-03-27

  A horror that looks like high-grade 1980s output, which made it spooky and nostalgic in equal measure - the 16mm explains the nostalgic bit. On the positive, the young main characters are attractive - I dug Laura (magazine girl Anna Brewster) and her Kate Moss delivery - very London - and the set up is nicely done, hinting at yikesy things to come, which they do. On the negative side, I wasn't really sure about the movie's central message, but I did like the hook - yes, there is a comparison to Triangle definitely, but this is different again. I'd say that this is not a wide theatrical release type movie but that it's pretty good and quite creepy watching it late at night within the comfort of your own home. Most of the acting makes it feel very natural, very real, and you can (if you shut your eyes and click your heels three times) almost imagine yourself there in amongst those razor-sharp greeny reeds wondering where everyone else is...