Cabin in woods, cue spinner, and we get axe slasher. Noah (Neal Bledsoe) and his girlfriend Anna (Lauren Powell) go to his parent's secluded mountain home, one that is much nicer than anything I have owned or will own. He also takes a long his brother Blake (Brett Haley) an obnoxious, rejected, frustrated individual who is frequently called a DH. To pour salt in the wound his ex-gf Cara (Lydia Hyslop) comes along as well as a college jock friend (Jesse Patch) who wants to hook up with Cara.The film opens with bad acting, bad dialogue and a lame soundtrack and doesn't get any better. There is a story about a Hunter who kills people on the Ridge and that is our killer introduction. Normally these types of films show a killing in the beginning to peak out interest and then relate it later on. This one did not. The killings took place in the dark and were not graphic, even with an axe.The biggest horror was when 4 people were all screaming and talking at the same time. The film attempted to get sexy as Anna takes a dip in a striped bathing suit. She removes her bottoms, which are now flowered and tosses them at her boyfriend, then a moment later has on the original bottoms. Like Ed Wood would say, "Who would notice?" That is how bad the directing and editing was on the film.Parental Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

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.

Like many of you, I came across this film in a four-pack of other forgettable B-movie horror flicks. That being said, I wasn't expecting to be entertained by any stretch of the imagination. As it turns out, I was horribly mistaken.The Ridge (Runner) is non-stop hilarity from beginning to end. From the opening sequence where Cara and the jock playfully discuss sentence structures, to the belabored discussion of the 'mess' left by Mr. Jenkins, to Blake's inability to shut the 'heck' up, it's laugh-out-loud fun for the whole (18 and over) family. Are there plot-flaws? Sure! Does it matter? No! The Ridge is a B-movie powerhouse filled with a few scares, quasi-decent acting, and non-stop laughing. In fact, it is a group favorite on movie night. There is only one question that my friends and I have. During the 15-minute continuous scene at the house (btw, doesn't the house look like an Elementary School when they drive up?) when Noah, Noah's GF, and the jock are talking, does Noah in fact state "Get her, Tiger! Get her, poop!" ?? I can't tell, but it sure sounds like it. To me, that question far surpasses knowing the true identity of the Ridge Runner. Favorite Characters: 1) The Raccoon from Blake's story 2) Mr. Jenkins 3) Noah and Blake's mom