This coulda been a pretty good flick. The plot, while tried and trite, is interestingly placed geographically -- although you gotta wonder about a county that has a sheriff with only one deputy, even in Arizona. The tie-in with the disappearance of the Anasazi is moderately cleaver. The actors are attractive enough, particularly the women. It's hard to tell if they are talented or skilled, though, because almost all of the movie is **shot in the dark!**Another reviewer observed there was something wrong/strange with this flick. Well, you can't see it, that's what's wrong. The monster roars; the cast squeaks, screams, moans and mumbles, but you can't see anything much. It was **shot in the dark,** and when there's a little light the cinematographer jerks the camera around like a drunken sailor at Mardi Gras. He musta "went to school" on "Blair Witch." It is really hard to have empathy with the characters or to feel their fear in the (presumably) scary parts because the movie was **shot in the dark!** Oh, and the monster looks like an "Alien" knock-off (and not a very good one), but you can't really tell because it was "...".The writer/director Matthew Leutwyler should stick to writing. He may not be really good at that -- what dialogue there is sux -- but he is an absolute farce as a director.

First the good news, the movie is only 93 minutes long. Now the really good news, you can turn it off after the first half hour and spend the other hour watching your clock tick. It will prove more interesting than finishing "Unearthed". Scenes with a frantic wobbling camera that are illuminated only with flashlights and glow-sticks, will leave you in the dark about what is going on. Not that you will be missing anything, because you've seen this monster on the loose plot dozens of times already. It goes something like this, people and animals killed, more people killed, monster killed....................................... end of story. - MERK

In 2004, director Matthew Leutwyler's first feature 'Dead & Breakfast' received praise for some circles; none of which included me. Unfortunately three years on and while at least he's moved away from rubbish zombie films; he has unfortunately gone on to rubbish sci-fi/horror films, and this desert-set rendition of Alien is just that. It's a shame that this film is so terrible because the plot actually sounds like it could turn into something quite decent. The film takes place in New Mexico and focuses on a small town. A bunch of cows have been found dead and naturally the local farmers believe that a wolf is to blame. The farmers send for a Sheriff to deal with that, and a big truck accident that's blocking the road...but things take a turn for the unexpected when the Sheriff discovers that there's been an archaeological dig in the area, and that an Indian has accidentally released a giant CGI alien creature into the town. Then a bunch of people end up getting stuck and the alien picks them all off one by one.OK, so let's break it down. Acting - terrible, special effects - terrible, plot - clichéd, death scenes - routine...so it really doesn't have all that much going for it. Emmanuelle Vaugier is the lead actress and she's very good looking, but doesn't have enough about her to carry the film. Luke Goss, one half of the awful eighties pop group 'Bros' also appears in the film (luckily, the other half isn't in it, and even luckier is the fact that he doesn't sing). The plot is turgid and uninteresting and basically gives us a little bit of info, followed by a death scene, followed by a bit more info. The central creature doesn't appear all that often - and that's really a good thing because it when it does appear, it's just disappointing CGI nonsense. The action sequences are no good either, mainly because director Matthew Leutwyler has opted for the MTv style quick cuts that never fail to ruin a movie (even, it would appear, one that is already ruined). Overall, this is a dreary and boring horror film that definitely isn't recommended.

After a truck is destroyed on a freeway, an alcoholic police officer (Emmanuelle Vaugier) and others are terrorized by a mysterious and violent creature. As the night progresses, the group of survivors learn that the creature is not of this Earth and attempting to destroy the human race.The writer/director of Dead & Breakfast, a fun horror-comedy, and writer of the upcoming reboot of Creepshow returns with Unearthed. Giving a quick scan of the DVD case, I see what's simultaneously the worst-looking cover and most unoriginal plot of the After Dark Horror Fest so far (from both years). It sounded more like a Sci-Fi Original's plot than it did a theatrically released horror film. Hell, even Sci-Fi Originals have more creativity in their plots (who will ever forget Rock Monster?). So, without an original storyline or, at least, cool artwork, Unearthed had a lot of work to do. As expected, it didn't come through. While the acting in this one was quite a bit better than the other After Dark Horrorfest films I've seen, the stale writing and lack of risky direction made for a very boring film. I, truly, have never been less engaged by a film. I never once cared about the characters in peril. . . just hoped they would die quickly to get the film over with. The effects were, when finally seen, poorly done. There were almost no scares and even fewer moments of any suspense. Overall, there aren't really any redeeming characteristics of this film. Not enjoyable, not enough violence/gore to please horrorhounds, no sex/nudity, no spectacularly well done writing or directing. . . really nothing good at all.Final verdict: 2.5/10.