Review by W. Schaeffer Tolliver
Goatsucker manages to do something a lot of indie horror movies struggle with, it keeps a steady pace while creating tension. Yet with just enough humor to bring things down a little when it get's too high. It has a great cast of characters and two parallel stories, a group of hikers on a “Goatsucker Tour” and the story of a girl seeking revenge on the Goatsucker for the death of one of her family members (who presumably was not a goat). And there are a couple of other surprises in there too... But that would be telling.
The opening with a girl running from an unseen menace in the woods, trying to seek shelter in a locked cabin (and the camera work during the credits) is clearly inspired by Evil Dead. And works for any horror film set in the woods. It is what we expect to see to set up that creepy, scary feeling, and it works!
From there it moves to the regular cast of the film, a group of misfits waiting to be led on a tour through Goatsucker country. The handsome dude Alan (Brandon Schaefer), the older guy with a drinking problem Wayne (Randy Hardesty), the camoflauge wearing cougar Pam (Marsha Cash), Alan's former love interest Rhonda (Emily Fitzmaurice) and Eugene, the quiet one (Neil Vowels). After short round of introductions they are led to the start of their tour by Brad (Jack Jones, who steals the show in my opinion!) But as they get there it turns out there is a problem, the regular Goatsucker Tour guide didn't show up, so they have to have a replacement guide, Heidi (Kim Welsh).
There are few more good characters and actors in the movie, but I feel having any more of the plot here would be a spoiler. But there is a Goatsucker, and this movie is not afraid to kill anyone!
This was was a fun movie to watch. All in all this movie had good acting, it was very well written and did a great job for an independent slasher/monster flick. The scenery was perfect, the cast was great and the monster was barely shown at all which adds to the horror aspect in a way that so many movies in recent years just seem to have forgotten. The only complaint is a lack of music during the movie, when the credits have fantastic music playing, but the low background insect noise does add to the constant outdoors atmosphere.
Steve Hudgins has made a very good first impression on this reviewer. 7/10
Quote: “I know it's a little strange that we found a bloody shirt out here, but there are a thousand reasons to explain that..” - Heidi the Tour Guide