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I really don't get the negative press and review this flick is getting, this is pure gold. If H.P. Lovecraft wrote a western, this would probably be the story. This story doesn't need toe be blood and guts, it isn't relaing on gore, just shear suspense and story. It is a simpel story, but such a well played one. At the start you think you know what will happen, but it doesn't pan out that way at all. As for the whole "evil white men' stick, well the indians weren't treated right, deal with it white people. I think it was a pretty good representation of the times.

I am sorry if I offend some people, but you would have to b a complete idiot not to love this one. On of the best horror flicks I have seen since In the Mouth of Madness. HP Lovecraft would be proud!

From wide, sweeping vistas of vast landscapes, to rich, dynamic cinematography that splits the difference between classic western sensibilities and those more typical of horror - to, of course, major currents of wretched racism, embodied not least in a trigger-happy veteran of genocidal wars: no one can accuse filmmaker J. T. Petty of not knowing his genre work. Furthermore, he demonstrates more than enough intelligence to meaningfully blend the period setting, replete with costume design, weapons, sets, and even dialogue, with careful, earnest detail to bring the horror to bear. The film makes smart use of the deep, dark night, and of the telltale signs the titular creatures leave behind, like the tracks and scat of wildlife. We get conflicts between human characters, quietly dwindling numbers of people, further piecemeal reveal of just what our heroes are up against, and more, weaving a tapestry that deftly stitches together two distinct styles and makes terrific use of both, and their combination. I'm not saying 'The burrowers' absolutely demands viewership, yet to the extent that it doesn't it's only insofar as the approach taken here definitely won't appeal to all. I'm so very pleased with just how excellent it is, more shrewdly crafted than countless other flicks, and when all is said and done I'm kind of blown away.

One might reasonably suggest that the slow build to the greater violence of the back end is a little too slow, and that in general the pacing, and the deployment of the burrowers, is a little too lax. I think that's a fair point, though alternatively, the understated thrust - accentuated in Joseph LoDuca's pensive score - allows the punctuated blasts of horror to hold all the more power, to say nothing of the even greater creeping desperation of the scenario. In fact, despite the ugliness and desolation often seen in the western, and the violence and carnage expected of horror, it's more true in this case that Petty turns both toward a bleak atmosphere of dread, and moreover of a dread that the principal characters are too unknowing to fully grasp. We see the creatures (an inventive, original design), and what they are capable of (nasty and discretely horrifying), but just as if not more interesting and critical to what the filmmaker built here are the sounds they make in the dark, the behavior that they illustrate, and their suggested life cycle. Petty treats his creations not as mythologized, incomprehensible monstrosities, but as natural predators endemic to the western part of the continent with distinguishable traits and characteristics. And it speaks so very well to Petty, in my opinion, that not only did he take substantial inspiration from animals in real life for his creature feature, but that he employs them to craft a sense of dawning horror that's broader, more lasting, and more darkly insidious than the average brutal romp. 'The burrowers' takes its time, but the journey could hardly be more worthwhile.

Along the way, every last facet here looks and sounds utterly terrific. The cast are superb, yes, very ably fulfilling the hardy roles of frontiersmen and indigenous people who are facing off against both each other and against animals far deadlier than any other. Yet that cast rather pales in comparison to the fraught energy of LoDuca's score, or Phil Parmet's crisp, vivid cinematography. The filming locations are gorgeous; the indicated work of all those behind the scenes to realize the "Old West" - costumes, sets, props, weapons - is exquisite. The special makeup, blood and gore, other practical effects, and stunts and action sequences are a joy as a viewer; those post-production visuals that are employed are so seamlessly blended in that these eyes had difficulty discerning the tangible from the digital. The sound design is impeccable, especially crucial in helping to conjure the burrowers themselves, and I cannot overstate what a marvel of ingenuity the little devils are. The very appearance manages to somehow combine the humanoid, the quadrupedal, and the usually arthropodan into something wholly new, and likewise the sounds that they make. That Petty put so much thought into their behavior and ecology speaks volumes about him, and the result is arguably more disconcerting than the average genre beastie. Even the way that the burrowers die is extra grotesque. And all this is to say nothing of the man's direction, so nuanced and discreet in laying out every small minutiae, let alone his screenplay at large that takes a familiar western saga (white settlers apparently attacked and abducted, and a subsequent hunt for the presumed responsible First Nations people) and twists it together with something older and more dangerous. The characters are wonderfully varied even as they lean on certain archetypes, the dialogue is thoughtfully penned, the narrative at large is compelling and satisfying (and somehow manages to reach a sideways peak of lightlessness at the very end), and the scene writing that ties it all together all so gratifyingly sharp, and underhandedly potent.

I had mixed expectations when I sat to watch, and those expectations have been far surpassed. It bears repeating: what Petty has done is to elevate heavy, grim ambience first and foremost, allowing it to supersede yet also complement the specific horror violence and the sordidness and barren forlornness of the western. The movie takes tried and true notions and warps them into something fresh and original, and though the end product isn't as viscerally thrilling as some may hope of the constituent genres, the long game that it plays results in a payoff that's all the more rewarding. Not everyone will be on board with what the title does, and that's okay; the world is full of many flavors of genre cinema. For my part I think 'The burrowers' is tremendous, and it might be one of the best horror flicks that I've (belatedly) watched of late. One should be well aware of the tenor here, and think about what they want out of films before sitting to watch, yet so long as that's no obstacle I'm so very happy to give 'The burrowers' my highest, heartiest recommendation!

Liked it so much! Kept my attention during the watching, a very interesting movie!

Having watched many unknown and direct to DVD's this is a gem. It is a fresh idea with many actors I know, not knowing they were in this. It is definitely not formula. Watch it if you like Westerns and or Horror.

Not a sci fi /gore fan but I am a fan of old westerns. This was an intriguing movie from beginning to end.. I really enjoyed it. Great acting.

Uncompromisingly written western/horror combo expertly acted, directed and filmed. Captivating, as good as a movie gets.