White Settlers (2014) Directed by Simeon Halligan
This sounds like a horror movie, it looks like a horror movie but no, it really isn't a horror movie as well.
It's actually weird how this movie presents itself as a horror movie to you, while in fact it's more of a "Straw Dogs" type of thriller movie. And when I say it's more of a "Straw Dogs" type of movie I actually mean that it's a very blatant rip off of the 1971 classic "Straw Dogs", which got remade in 2011 as well. And oh no, this most definitely isn't a very good or effective rip off either.
Just imaging an incredibly watered down version of "Straw Dogs", without any of the psychological aspects, suspense, story development or characters. This movie really doesn't have an awful lot to offer, simply because it isn't doing an awful lot in the first place.
It's pretty hard to describe this movie, since it doesn't just falls into one category. Sounds like a good thing perhaps but in this case it really isn't. Like I said, if feels and looks like a horror movie but aside from a few jump scares, it features no horror elements in it at all. Guess you could that it's still a bit of a slasher but it's a slasher without much violence or blood and gore though, so could you really call it a slasher? The story is more suitable for a thriller type of approach anyway but the movie itself seems to disagree on this. It tries to be as dark possible and look violent and suspenseful, without ever actually doing anything violent or truly suspenseful.
I keep saying this but dark doesn't equal atmospheric. It's one of those movies that seems to think that it's enough to feature a dark look, in order for it to work out as a suspenseful and scary one but forgets all about actually setting up some good tension, suspense or mystery with its story first. It just doesn't work like that and it only makes the movie a terribly flat and uninvolving one to watch.
At the same time, it's still really far from the worst movie you could watch. At least it isn't as formulaic and generic as the title and cover of the movie might suggest it is and yes, it also indeed still has plenty of good and original things to offer. Because it's far from a generic movie, it also is far from being a boring or predictable one, though that doesn't mean that all of its twists work out as good or effective ones as well.
I really can't recommend this movie, though there obviously are worse movies you could watch.
5/10
Watch trailer
It's actually weird how this movie presents itself as a horror movie to you, while in fact it's more of a "Straw Dogs" type of thriller movie. And when I say it's more of a "Straw Dogs" type of movie I actually mean that it's a very blatant rip off of the 1971 classic "Straw Dogs", which got remade in 2011 as well. And oh no, this most definitely isn't a very good or effective rip off either.
Just imaging an incredibly watered down version of "Straw Dogs", without any of the psychological aspects, suspense, story development or characters. This movie really doesn't have an awful lot to offer, simply because it isn't doing an awful lot in the first place.
It's pretty hard to describe this movie, since it doesn't just falls into one category. Sounds like a good thing perhaps but in this case it really isn't. Like I said, if feels and looks like a horror movie but aside from a few jump scares, it features no horror elements in it at all. Guess you could that it's still a bit of a slasher but it's a slasher without much violence or blood and gore though, so could you really call it a slasher? The story is more suitable for a thriller type of approach anyway but the movie itself seems to disagree on this. It tries to be as dark possible and look violent and suspenseful, without ever actually doing anything violent or truly suspenseful.
I keep saying this but dark doesn't equal atmospheric. It's one of those movies that seems to think that it's enough to feature a dark look, in order for it to work out as a suspenseful and scary one but forgets all about actually setting up some good tension, suspense or mystery with its story first. It just doesn't work like that and it only makes the movie a terribly flat and uninvolving one to watch.
At the same time, it's still really far from the worst movie you could watch. At least it isn't as formulaic and generic as the title and cover of the movie might suggest it is and yes, it also indeed still has plenty of good and original things to offer. Because it's far from a generic movie, it also is far from being a boring or predictable one, though that doesn't mean that all of its twists work out as good or effective ones as well.
I really can't recommend this movie, though there obviously are worse movies you could watch.
5/10
Watch trailer
