The film is a contemporary horror that draws from the urban legend of The Ridge Runner, a brutal killer out to slaughter anyone who settles on his land. "The Ridge" begins slow and clunky but within the first fifteen minutes the atmosphere becomes a nonstop slaughter fest. Okay maybe a bit more than fifteen minutes but the point is what starts as a questionable flick turns into a real chiller.The story opens with the cliché set-up of friends on a getaway. Only within the first few moments of arriving to the house, nestled in the woods, things get eerie. The dialog is flimsy, random, and doesn't really seem to lead into the story, at least not until the standard "do you know a scary story" moment. That is when we are introduced to the urban legend of the brutal ridge runner. There are moments when the story, even the telling of the legend, feels contrived, but for the most part it is a plausible premise. It is obvious though that most of the writing focused on action and kills based on the weak dialog. So at first the film starts off shaky. But when the sh*t hits the fan, the film almost transforms into something totally new. The special effects are pretty tight. The attention to presenting killer scenes and action sequences is obvious in "The Ridge". The house plays a big role in the film with so many rooms, levels and areas for the killer to pop out from, The night shooting and sound effects help create a traditional horror look, that will be recognizable to horror fans. From the moment the first body is found, explaining the eerie beginning to the film, "The Ridge" really goes full throttle giving total slasher entertainment. The soundtrack at times feels hokey-hallmark-y, but I can over look the style of music used to create an emotional continuity to the story. Overall "The Ridge" turns into a pretty decent indie slasher film. The fact that the horror just happens, with no justification other than a faceless killer mad about loosing his land, only adds to the nightmare. There is some pretty stellar directional choices and cinematography in "The Ridge". Honestly if the dialog and first part of the film would have had the strength that pops up in the second and third act then this would have been a ten for me.

Five college students gather to spend the weekend at an isolated mountain retreat. Two are brothers; most are friends. Yet when they couple up, one will inevitably be left out, scorned not merely by the woman he loves but by his own brother. As he broods alone at midnight, will his suppressed rage engender a monster from the Id who will enact the fantasies of vengeance he wouldn't dare entertain in his conscious mind? Alas, no. But when he recounts an urban legend about a hunter who terrorizes the unsuspecting denizens of the local forest, we know that another sort of rampage can't be far behind.'The Ridge' provides a measure of entertainment value, though perhaps not in the way its creators intended. Its premise, performances, and production values inspire laughter more than terror. But it does feature solid pacing, and it effectively suggests what it can't graphically depict. In the end, only its technical limitations truly set it apart from its big-budget brethren. Hackneyed plots and amateurish acting are, after all, the lifeblood of horror cinema. So if viewers find too much fault with this hopefully-witting B movie, they ultimately have a problem with the genre, not 'The Ridge.'I admit that I watched this only because I am related to its leading man, Neal Bledsoe. He has since moved on to projects far more likely to burnish his reputation. But 'The Ridge' could rise again, as a re-released DVD prominently featuring his image in order to capitalize on his subsequent stardom. It happened with Naomi Watts's pre-fame thriller about a homicidal elevator, 'The Shaft.' When that happens, Neal will know he's truly made it.

Worse movie I've ever seen. The sound quality was poor, the script was even worse, and the acting was pathetic! Even the ending sucked pimentos! Obviously Neal Bledsoe has gotten much better, he couldn't have gotten any worse, that is for sure. Acting was way over the top when it came to fear ... totally over-exaggerated to the point that I couldn't watch the entire movie. I have far too much respect for my to put it through the torture of watching a film of this caliber! The sound reminded me of early soap operas ... empty. The scripting wasn't even worth calling this a B movie. All in all, walk away ... you'd get more entertainment by watching a dripping faucet.

I wish I could say nice things about this movie but alas, the bad out weigh the good. The actors did a good job, They were convincing and worked well together on screen. My problem was with the story and editing. There were several bad cuts throughout the movie that distracted from the story and made me kind of angry considering the time they took to get decent angles and have a decent cast. The story was solid however, I would have liked the "Ridge Runner" to be built up a bit more, his hood was way too big and made him look comical rather than intimidating. There were a couple of decent scares and the dialogue wasn't so bad that I felt myself wanting to fast forward. I really wish the filmmakers took the time to get an editor who actually knew what they were doing.Note to Producers: Next time show some skin. Especially when you have a character take her bottoms off in a pool only to have her bottoms back on in bad editing. It is annoying and distracting from the story. I would have given you at least one more star if she was actually naked.