I went in expecting some cryptid movie, or at least to see some idiot college kids get ripped apart by some panther with mange. It tries to go in on that premise, but about halfway through switches to a poorly executed "The Most Dangerous Game" "spooky ambiguous killer" type movie. Most everyone save for Vanya is completely useless, at least their panic is believable, I'll give them that much. It goes off on plenty of "mysterious" tangents that don't get solved, or if they did, you'd have to suffer through the movie a second time and wade through so much crap to find the answer it might just be easier to gouge your eyes out and forget you ever wasted your time on this movie. Maybe THAT'S what happened to the little girl's eye, she just couldn't stand the movie anymore.

This one really had me spooked, not just another horror flick, this film was well made, good acting, superb directing, set in the dark (am), eerie backdrop of northern England (yet most of the action took place in adjacent dense woods across the moor rather than within it). Once the movie began, it quickly picked up the pace with non-stop action, a no nonsense script and plot full of enough surprises to satisfy the most fearless viewer. To be sure, I had to turn my head on more than one occasion, and had no stomach for refreshments until long after the movie ended. So, despite the low ratings, I'm glad I decided to watch it anyway. I don't review much, but once in awhile I feel strongly enough to put it out there, and I find it a shame in many cases such as this the disparity is so great that consulting the rating system provides little useful direction. Oh well, as they say, different strokes.

First - and yes THIS IS A SPOILER - the film is a bait and switch. It's not about a killer panther, but a human killer. Thankfully they let you know within the first act, which means some viewers will make the wise choice to put something else on. It would suck if they paid for it and got swindled, but at least they could save themselves some time. I found it on Netflix and, unfortunately, decided to stick with it for the rest of the runtime. Basically the whole thing is annoying characters making infuriatingly stupid decisions over and over. And over. And the events of the last fifteen or so minutes feel like they were drawn out of a hat - just completely random stuff lacking any trace of forethought. So, don't waste your time.

I'm not sure why this doesn't have a higher rating on IMDb. I just saw this, and it was fun. It had a natural flow, and I liked the main character a lot. There was a twist at the end that was very unexpected. However, what happens to the bad guy was kinda silly, but it didn't negate the rest of the movie.Melia Kreiling was very believable, and she seemed believable scared throughout her time in the forest. I think we'll see more films with her in the future.I recommend this film. It's a solid, original thriller, and I'll watch it again. I gave this a 7-star rating.