***Cabin-in-the-woods horror in the heart of The Badger State***
A brother and sister take the ashes of their deceased father to the family cabin in the sticks of central Wisconsin, accompanied by four friends. The problem is, there have been some recent deaths in the area, which may be linked to a massacre of Indians in generations past.
“Black Creek” (2017) is a cabin-in-the-woods Indie by writer/director James Crow. While it’s listed as costing $3 million, the non-actors and dubious acting make it seem like micro-budget horror in the manner of “Backwoods Bloodbath: Curse of the Black Hodag” (2007), also shot in Wisconsin. Thankfully, the flick delivers the goods for the cabin-in-the-woods genre in practically every other area.
In other words, if you can roll with the questionable actors/acting, it entertains for what it is, a slasher in the wilderness. The story is compelling enough with an antagonist reminiscent of Proteus from Uncanny X-Men 125-128 (1979). In the second half, the effects of how the entity transfers is well-done and creepy.
Also, the flick scores well on the female front with standouts Leah Patrick (Jenna) and Rachel Vedder (Rachel), both blondes.
In addition, there’s a superlative track that runs during the credits, “Walked Up To The Devil,” by Hale and the Homos, written by Lance Wendlandt. The chorus is passionate and moving:
I want to be on top for once
I'm sick of being on the bottom
I want to walk out in the sun
And leave a trail that's not forgotten
While this is superior to “Backwoods Bloodbath,” it’s not quite on the level of another micro-budget slasher shot in Wisconsin, “Blood Harvest” (1987). The actors and acting are better in that one. Obviously, you have to have a taste for spare change flicks to appreciate any of 'em.
The movie runs 1 hours, 20 minutes, and was shot in Eau Claire County and Osseo in the heart of Wisconsin. It has been reported that the bar sequence was done in Black Creek, which is a three-hour drive east of there.
GRADE: C
