A couple driving through the desert crashes their car due to a blowout and are left stranded. They decide to head for a nearby town called Blood Creek to search for help and meet a mysterious stranger who calls himself Joseph.The film is directed by Adam Mason, a man whose greatest skill is creating great looking films for very little money, and the film does indeed look great. Unfortunately, it lacks the creative touch that was very apparent in his previous work The Devil's Chair (which I gave a very high score). Indeed, the film feels uninspired and watching it is a bit like going through the motions.This is a shame, because there is a glimpse of something great hiding within the religious angle that the film takes. I wish that this had been explored in more depth, but instead this is covered by clichés that border on parody.By far, the worst part of Blood Creek is the characterization of the two leads; the man is aggressive and loud, the woman is passive and dripping with tears. This is the case from the get-go and only gets worse as the film goes on. I assume that this is somewhat intentional, but it crosses the line between believable human flaws and annoying caricature.The best part is the performance of Andrew Howard as the mysterious traveler Joseph. While he does have the best material to work with, it is pretty clear that he is the one with the acting chops and he pretty much carries the film single-handedly.Despite the good craftsmanship (cinematography and sound is great), I would recommend watching something else. While Blood Creek is not offensively bad, it presents a handful of moments of annoyance and leaves no lasting impression.

There really should be a disclaimer at the start of films that rely on any form of fantasy to hold a plot together...at least ones that masquerade as a thriller, like "Blood River." To expect us to believe the "avenging angel" nonsense might fly on some Disney TV show or some bible-belt rouser like "In Search of Historic Jesus" but in the context of a traditional horror film, it's just lazy writing.I can't remember being so let down by a film. This is a very well-made, well-shot, generally well-acted picture that falls apart in its last twenty minutes through a variety of indecipherable and unclear "revelations" all of which may or may not be true. No one knows....no one. Every single post I've read falls back on either the angel explanation (which Mason obviously BELIEVES, according to interviews) or just meanders with semi-plausible, wistful thinking. The killing, torturing savior for Jesus, right? Ugh...fine. You believe...whatever. Don't insult the rest of us with this fairy nonsense.What really stinks is what a waste this film is. Lots of good character conflict, good dialog, some genuine tension...and it ends in a pseudo-Sunday school lesson. What a gyp.

Clark Ewald (Ian Duncan) and his pregnant wife Summer (Tess Panzer) drive in a lonely road through the desert of Nevada traveling to the house of her parents. They pass by a walker dressed like a cowboy and later they stop for the night in a motel. In the morning they return to the road while the cowboy leaves the inn keeper in the bathroom of his room with a cross carved in her forehead and her wrists cut. Fifty miles far the hotel, the couple has a car accident when the tire bursts. They decide to walk to the next town that is six miles ahead, but they find a ghost town. Out of the blue, the stranger arrives in the town and introduces himself as Joseph (Andrew Howard). He gives attention to Summer and Clark has frictions with him. Sooner Joseph that claims to be an angel of God weakens the bonds between Summer and Clark and dark secrets are disclosed about the choice Clark has chosen in life. "Blood River" is one of the most anguishing films I have ever seen, with an original story of sin and punishment. The plot is supported by the excellent performances of the unknown Andrew Howard, Tess Panzer and Ian Duncan associated to a tight direction of Adam Mason from "The Devil's Chair" (I hate "Broken"). The camera has awesome angles and the atmosphere increasingly gets darker and darker. The unexpected conclusion is frightening and disturbing and the viewer never clearly knows what he has done what makes the movie scarier and open to interpretations. The soundtrack is awesome, specially the song "Blood River" that plays in the credit. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Rios de Sangue" ("Blood Rivers")

Blood River is one of the better Indy films I've seen in a long time. The lead actor is exceptional and the rest of the small cast deliver fine and engrossing performances, the look of this film is top draw and the location was right on the money, a spooky ghost town. The story had me memorized and on the edge of my seat. The transformation of the victims were totally engrossing and the climax was horrifying. The style was straight forward and simple, which adds to it's classy film making. All the tension built just fine to a climatic ending. After leaving the the theater, I found myself thinking about some of the bad things I've done in my life and even called a friend to apologize about the thing I did, which he wasn't aware of. It made me search my soul and think a lot about being a better man. Rod Serling would be proud.