A group of friends head out to the picturesque wilderness of Old Mines, Missouri for a camping and boating vacation.  After crossing the state line they’re stopped by the local sheriff (Joseph Palermo) who gives them a hard time and warns them that they're not welcome in his town. They get an equally frosty reception at the gas station where they go to pick up supplies. Unperturbed, they continue on and set up camp for the night. The Mayor's daughter Billie (Trudy Bequette) turns up at their camp and warns them about her brother who's known as "the Boy", the product of an incestuous relationship between the mayor (Ed Belt) and his sister. The mayor has trained the Boy the do his dirty work for him, keeping the town free from outsiders. The campers ignore Billie's warnings and soon find themselves being hunted by the unstoppable hooded killer.

The Undertow is a straightforward backwoods horror that captures that elusive quality which made the horror classics of the 70's so enjoyable. The cast, including Jason Christ and Emily Haack, manage to avoid the clichéd stereotypes of recent horror movies, and deliver strong performances, especially Julie Farrar, who takes a real punishing by the oversized redneck. The locations are quite stunning, and the cinematography by the very talented Eric Stanze is an absolute joy to behold. The sequence where the guys are rowing down the river, accompanied by a superb, understated soundtrack, is a wonderful piece of film making. There are some great FX as well, including head squashing, eye popping and disembowelment, all delivered with great aplomb by people who take pride in their gory art. Jeremy Wallace has added a fine modern horror tale to the ever increasing list of quality independent films coming from the good people at Sub Rosa Extreme and Wicked Pixel. Recommended. 

The Undertow. 2003 

Directed by Jeremy Wallace

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