Shallow Ground Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Fear your past... it will find you.
Don't Dig Too Deep.
A naked teenage boy covered in blood appears at a remote sheriff's station one year after the brutal unsolved murder of a local girl. Now Sheriff Jack Shepherd, guilt ridden over the girl's murder, must confront his own demons as he desperately searches for the boy's true identity and possible victims. Little does Jack realize that he has started down a path that will bring him face to face with an unthinkable horror. Before sunrise the living will pay for the pain the dead have suffered.
| Timothy V. Murphy | Jack Sheppard |
| Stan Kirsch | Stuart Dempsey |
| Lindsey Stoddart | Laura Russell |
| Patricia McCormack | Helen Reedy |
| Rocky Marquette | Boy |
| Natalie Avital | Darby Owens |
| Chris Hendrie | Albert Underhill |
| Tara Killian | Amy Underhill |
| Myron Natwick | Harvey |
| Steve Eastin | Detective Russell |
| John Kapelos | Leroy Riley |
| Christine Avila | Mrs. Underhill |
| Ori Pfeffer | Curtis |
| Victor Campos | Bus Driver |
| John MacKane | Passenger #1 |
| Sheldon Wilson |
5.30 out of 10 (1471 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Good, Yes, but....
posted on 24 Aug 2009As many have commented, this is not your usual pedantic horror fare, so it certainly gets kudos for that. An unusual plot and plenty of red herrings definitely keep you guessing. But what starts out as a very interesting premise completely unravels at the end since you're left wondering, "why didn't (t)he(y) just do that to begin with?" There's nothing in that scene to suggest it couldn't have been accomplished without "outside" help. Additionally, all the bloody messages written on the doors lead you to believe no one's innocent, when clearly they are. And the very final scene, of course, leaves the usual "open" ending to suggest there will be a sequel. I won't be looking out for it, though.
A deeply flawed plot
posted on 10 Aug 2009A deeply flawed plot. I won't recapitulate them here, since many previous commenters have done this quite well. And I did not like the clichéd device of the music building to a (supposed) climax, but then nothing happening in the film. An interesting device the first time it was tried, but filmmakers need to leave that alone. The acting was uneven as well. But it did, surprisingly enough, hold my interest.So it isn't a complete failure. I liked Natalie Avital, and hope she gets more good roles in the future. (Okay I really mean better roles.) The same for Lindsey Stoddart. I suppose that horror film fans should see this movie, and that others should give it a pass.
A darn good old fashioned horror movie
posted on 29 Jul 2009There's nothing new and revolutionary in this. But you know what, that's what sets it apart from any American horror movie I've seen in a long time. It has violence, gore, nudity, the supernatural, decent acting, spooky woods, and an obvious "start sequel here" ending. It was fun, well paced, nice to look at, and it made me feel good. It reminded me of what the first Evil Dead movie meant to be before it got the mistaken idea it was a comedy. It could be transported from today to the eighties to the seventies with ease. It's about darn time they started making horror movies again instead of pretentious little pieces of artistic fluff and torture/psycho/seen it all before regurgitated eighties tripe that really believes it is revolutionary. Yes I am a jaded horror fan, and you know what? I have a job. I buy movies, and tickets, and memorabilia... Hey Mr. Movie Studio Exec quit pandering to broke thirteen year olds who saw a pirated copy of your movies on their friend's computer, and start churning out more like this. I'll buy them. You'll make money. We'll both be happy.
Shallow Ground.
posted on 13 Jun 2009I had to watch this thriller twice to fully grasp its' complex plot-lines and the many twists therein. The film opens with a bang when a naked blood-soaked teen-aged boy appears uninvited at the local cop shop. Said cop shop is facing imminent closure but still has a stalwart crew of spunky female cop, cynical city boy cop and "Irish" (odd accent) leading man. I knew he was the hero because he had a drink problem, relationship difficulties and had become very embittered. He also had a square jaw, beautiful blue eyes and a hairy chest (which he constantly showed with no real provocation). "Shallow Ground" steals themes from many better, bigger-budgeted classic movies including liberal borrows from "The Evil Dead" "DRiller Killer" "Friday the 13th" "The Fog" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" to name but a few! Speaking in tongues, flashbacks, dripping blood, stigmata, torture killers and bare breasts (and hairy chests) are all there. A town in crisis and hard-nosed cynical cops are just some of the popular stereotypes we see. The violence is graphic and dwelt on a little. The teen-aged protagonist remains naked for the 90 minutes duration of the film but only exposes his pert bloody buttocks. Wardrobe seem to have managed to keep his testicles out of the scenes as that would be an altogether different picture! Too clever for its' own good this film is still worthwhile but the end result does not entirely match up to the suggested hint of a bloody good movie (no pun intended).
Ought to be titled "Shallow Plot"
posted on 04 May 2009Picked this one up at the library, thus thankfully saving myself any expense, mostly because of the deceptive blurbs on the DVD case: "Refreshing and ambitious," (thoroughly wrong on the first count, debatable on the second) "Easily one of the most original horror films of the last year," (possibly, if you've never seen another horror film that year, or have extremely low standards) "Winner Best Picture, Dead by Dawn Film Festival 2004" (not a terribly glowing recommendation to attend any future DbD festivals, I can assure you), and several others that were mercifully covered with library stickers.Others have already sufficiently commented on the weaknesses of this low-budget effort, including the choppy editing, the meandering, slapdash plot in hopeless search of focus (and intelligence), the forgettable acting, the serviceable but otherwise unremarkable camera-work, the competent but undistinguished score, and the effective but pointless gore effects.Who greenlights crap like this? Who is dumb enough to put up the money for a project that only serves to prove Sturgeon's Law? Do no-name actors actually swell with pride at having a joke like this on their resumes? One can only scratch one's head and wonder.Safe to say, a wreck like this makes films like "High Tension" or "Saw I/II" or even "Hostel" look like Oscar contenders.Invest your time in this one only if you are really, really desperate for entertainment. Whatever promise its creators have or had was completely squandered on this turkey.I had an epiphany after first submitting this comment, noticing as I did that one of the supporting actors is thanked in the credits, a guy who just happens to run an acting school. No doubt the school was in the vicinity of this film's shooting locations. No doubt the school provided a number of warm bodies for various roles. No doubt the school was counting on an influx of students and their cash via this movie. No doubt this school has failed to produce any recognizable talent since its inception, which is a shame, since it appears that the actor running this school works steadily, if only in television (and I say that facetiously, knowing that teeveeland offers far more and steadier work than film could ever hope to do). Which, if nothing else, once again goes to prove the truth of Sturgeon's Law.
A Sequel Seems Imminent
posted on 02 May 2009I really enjoyed this movie. I like to be scared, surprised, and confused with a vexing predicament. This movie supplied all of the above. The suspense kept going. A sequel seems imminent. Casting was great, mainly because the anonymity of the actors did not get in the way of the story. There's nothing worse than having a great script ruined by someone's fame. You end up watching them & miss a lot of other important things happening in the movie. A big plus was the great music in this movie. It really added to the ambiance of the action and settings. Another plus to this movie was that it wasn't cheapened by an assumed romance taking precedence over everything else. Due to circumstances in this movie, people's relationships with one another seemed appropriate. There was a very unexpected thing that happened, that never occurred to me, although, it should have. You will like that unexpected thing. There's plenty in this movie to creep you out. I strongly suggest you watch it while eating, and drinking, your favorite foods and beverage.S C A R Y ! !
Harbinger of a deep dark past.
posted on 30 Apr 2009Sheldon Wilson's stark supernatural low budget horror film is too contrived, hard to follow and before it is over it becomes a head-scratcher...why does anyone watch this all the way through. Some pretty gory scenes, but that is about it. Out of the woods stumbles a naked teenage boy covered in blood, carrying the very same hunting knife that was used in a brutal murder twelve months earlier. Small town sheriff Jack Sheppard(Timothy V. Murphy)obligates himself to deal with his own demons and dark past and the slaying he failed to stop. Supernatural, horror and bunk; the story line is just not very smart. The cast includes: Stan Kirsch, Patty McCormack, Natallie Avital and Rocky Marquette.
One of the best horror movies I ever saw
posted on 02 Apr 2009This movie has everything a good horror movie needs - a story interesting enough to keep you watching, great special effects (not CGI effects, mind you!), and great actors who love what they're doing. You recognize their efforts to make this movie a good and entertaining one. If one can believe the producers, the movie was made on a very limited budget of just over $ 70.000 - and the result is excellent! In times when horror movies are full of CGI effects and actors who seem to do their job only to receive a paycheck at the end of the day, "Shallow Ground" proves that it can be done with a great enthusiastic team and a special effects crew that knows what they're doing. There's lots of blood, excellent SFX and a nice twist at the end - everything a horror film fan finds entertaining. The actors do their job well, and this movie left me hoping for a sequel. Oh, I just gave it 8 out of 10 points because the motivation of the Dead trying to "avenge" their own death came a bit short and wasn't explained very well. But then - I had a great time watching this movie, and I'm sure I'll watch it again. What else could I want for...? Jasper P. Morgan
A pleasant surprise that had my date creeping closer.
posted on 11 Mar 2009Currently working night shift in the ER and having grown up in the suburbs of Chicago watching Creature Features on WGN TV you can eye the lineage of my horror flick bewitchment. Whether it be King Kong crouched behind a boulder waiting for the unsuspecting Godzilla to stroll on past so as to inflict a figure-four-toe-hold on the lizard's tail or Motel Hell's nice little neck tie harvest of "all sorts of critters" I really appreciate a good horror flick. Shallow Ground a new feature directed by Sheldon Wilson seems to serve up a tasty side dish of horror IL' Farmer Vincent would be proud of. Kudos to the editing crew for some very tight work that made my date hug me tight on a number of occasions at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal where we viewed this movie. A nice little plot twist which I'm happy to say neither of us were able to guess and the fact my date loved the sexy Irish accent of actor Timothy Murphy who plays Sheriff Jack Sheppard made for a pleasant surprise at the movies. I'm not familiar with the backgrounds of either director Sheldon Wilson or actor Timothy Murphy but I do hope to see more by them.
Err....what?
posted on 23 Feb 2009What the hell was that all about then? Damned if I know, but it was awful.This film was another I saw at my University's SU bar for free (and I only saw it because I was told it was Shallow GRAVE) and I want my money back.It has about the same scare factor as being in a really comfy armchair with a nice cup of tea and a soothing CD on, is as satisfying as a half eaten pot noodle, and makes about as much sense as a semi-comatose, acid tripping man with no hands trying to communicate through sign language.I mean what the hell was going on? I missed the opening 10-15 minutes as I was getting food (the diversion being a far more interesting experience than the film, and as I recall more scare-filled too) and as such assumed that I was lost because of this. I asked all my friends and they informed me it was not because I had been late, but because the film sucked more than a prostitutes industrial hoover.I still don't know what this film was ultimately about, and frankly the sequel-aimed ending made me fly into a semi murderous rage at the prospect, before I calmed down with the realisation that no film this mind numbingly boring and, to be frank, stupid, would ever get a sequel.
No Sense....
posted on 15 Feb 2009I love the Sci-Fi Channel movies, and most of them are of equal caliber. I recently saw Shallow Ground and now I'm scratching my head. This movie had some pretty poor casting, terrible dialogue, and some of the worst character development I've ever seen.This movie revolves around two plots. There's the naked bloody kid who has apparent supernatural powers. Then there's the mysterious disappearances of many people in the town. Incidentally, everyone is leaving the town because "the dam is completed." I took this to mean that the valley would be flooded. But then, I'm pretty sure everyone HAS to leave.The movie starts off weak and ends with a whimper. It tries to be more than your average thriller and instead it comes off much worse.
Fantastic fun
posted on 11 Feb 2009Budget horror defies its shoestring funds and provides a cracking yarn for 90 minutes.Shallow Ground is the type of movie you can't really reveal too much about in terms of its plot, as otherwise you'll spoil the vast majority of its content.Nevertheless, a simple synopsis is that a small town police station which is about close up for good is thrown into disarray on the day most of its employees are leaving when a young man entirely drenched in blood shows up. Entirely disturbed by this, the officers realise they have to investigate what's going on, and when a blood test reveals the blood's origins the police realise they have a real mystery on their hands.Saying more is pointless, so I won't. To say the least this movie was an absolute surprise. Granted it came across as a glorified episode of the X-FIles and like-minded TV sci-fi dramas, but this didn't really matter. A movie has to entertain, and given how this one opens and develops, believe it or not, it's quite fascinating and *gasp* original.Certainly there are moments which require suspension of disbelief, but hey, it's a movie, and it's fiction.The direction is pretty decent, even if there are areas which could have benefited from faster, more thrusting direction - the pacey plot really needed regular breakneck pace and it slowed down in the odd place which wasn't the wisest move.The acting is acceptable enough, but who watches horror for the acting...The gore levels are rather high - the movie is not especially gory, but it has a high volume of the visceral stuff to say the least.The strongest aspect is definitely the plot, and the special effects add a lot to it too.Fairly recommended.
Style wins over substance again
posted on 31 Dec 2008Where is the plot in this goddam moon pitcher? For some reason a kid drenched in blood is walking around killing people. No explanation given except that he's a combination of other people who have been killed recently. Oh yeah - That clears up everything.The movie is somewhat scary and certainly atmospheric but it was not to my taste. And if you're squeamish about blood and gore definitely skip this one.Nice touch to have Patty McCormack in this film. I assume she's the same PM who starred in the movie "The Bad Seed" made in the 50s. She was great in that - playing an evil 12 year old girl who was pure psychopath.
Nice concept, decent acting
posted on 19 Dec 2008This is a low budget movie, but this is not very obvious. The casting is using actors I've never seen before (maybe except the young cop, the actor played in Highlander the series), but they do a good job, the plot is running smoothly on a rather original concept, "bloody boy", and the sound is good enough.Unfortunately, the movie is not very scary and the novel concept is not exploited close to its full potential. It is hard to analyze this further without spoiling anything so I stop here. Bottom line this is a must for horror movie fans, if not for the scary part, at least for a new take on an old story.
Convoluted at best! ***to be read if you've already seen this film***
posted on 13 Dec 2008I hate movies like this. The acting, cinematography, and SFX are all fine, but when the credits roll, I cannot put my finger on what was missing.Usually, that "missing" element is a sloppy storyline, with absolutely no character development, and in this case, just too much going' on.8 Questions I have about SHALLOW GROUND - in no particular order: 1. Why is this movie entitled, "Shallow Ground"? With the exception of the very end, this title makes absolutely no sense.2. Is the bloody boy good OR bad? At first, he seems bad, as he's covered in blood, writes "NO ONE LEAVES" in blood, and causes the young cop to kill the prisoner.3. Why is everyone abandoning the town? This is never fully explained.4. Who is/are the shadowy figure who hangs naked women up on pullies in the forest? Are they and the widow one in the same person? 5. Who exactly is the KILLER? The shadowy figure dressed all in black? The widow who is seeking revenge? The blood-drenched boy? OR the various townspeople? There are way too many possibilities and this severely weakens the film.6. Why is the female paramedic killed? There is no rhyme or reason as to why certain people are killed, re: the molester in prison, the gf of the sheriff, and her father are just some examples. ONE reason should be used in order to kill someone off, i.e. either to avenge the wrongful death of the widow's husband/daughter OR avenge evil townspeople, not a bit of both.7. What was that crazy widow doing with the dead bodies? I'm talking about the fish hooks, straps across their mouths, and putting them all at cocktail tables in that parlor room.8. How could this movie receive such praise? 9/10??!! I could go on, but this movie had potential, and then the writer decided to squeeze in more info. than a Stephen King television mini-series. Convoluted at best.
Arg ...
posted on 07 Dec 2008I think I did included a couple of spoiler, but I didn't want to get blacklisted, so I said yes just to be sure. Anyway, Timothy V. Murphy is this movie's only redeeming quality (basically because he is hot looking, he's got that Irish brogue working for him, too). First I gave it a 3, but I just finished watching it and I had to change that to a 1. It was stupid. It did start out very promising, but quickly took a big turn for the garbage can. I admit my attention started to wander and if I had not done so I might have been able to figure out what was bloody (pardon the pun) going on. And what the h@## was that at the end. Well, it did have a couple of good ideas, like the kid's fingerprints and the pictures collectively composing the kid. Excellent bloody people for special effects, as well. Oh, yeah, it did have Patty McCormack from 'The Bad Seed' (she so rocked in that movie). But all in all, please don't ever make me watch it again.
So Awesome!!!
posted on 01 Nov 2008I started to watch this movie Saturday night but I got too scared and decided to watch it the next day when it was light out. I loved it so much it was excellent. I was so scared & confused :) I was surprised because a lot of horror movies these days aren't that scary, they're just bloody, but this had both of those things. I've been trying to find a decent horror movie, that scares me for a little while now, and this is it. The boy in particular freaked me out so much. It was his eyes that got me I think. Rocky played it really well. The cast and crew really pulled it off well and on such a limited budget. Almost all of the effects were 'real' not CG which is good to see, so many movies these days are just all CG and don't look very believable. I will definitely be recommending this one to all my friends.
Take Note Hollywood!
posted on 30 Sep 2008OK, so normally there is no way this movie would get a 10 from me. I have given a 10 to only 2 movies the entire time i have been here. So why on earth would anyone score this a ten? Simple, they did more with a budget of $72,000 than most Hollywood films can do with $72,000,000. Think about that for a second $72,000! that is probably not enough to provide food services for a week on the set of a mission impossible movie. The story is surprisingly fresh and original (although there are a few of your typical canned horror film moments here). the acting is surprisingly good for a cast that i am guessing worked entirely off of a point sharing system of the profits. and the producers of this film deserve an Oscar for making a film which has a visual quality equal to any other horror film (house of wax, final destination etc. etc.) with inferior equipment & half the crew. this film should make the rest of Hollywood embarrassed and ashamed of the crap they have been putting out for the past 15 yrs. it is a shame most people will probably never see this movie, but if you come across it... do yourself a favor and rent it! you may not like horror films (and this one is pretty bloody) but you will able to see a poster child for what the film industry should be and could be if the rest of Hollywood cared about what they were doing, like the people involved with this film obviously did!
A Surprise Good Low Budget Movie
posted on 10 Jul 2008I am no fan of horror films, but this one managed very well to maintain my interest even through two lame pieces of the script. The tension is palpable, the acting, by most, is tolerable to very good, and the rest followed. I really enjoyed how the music heightened the tension through the scenes. (I know this is the role of movie music and when I became aware of the effect it didn't matter - the movie got me right back on the near edge of my seat.)Keep in mind that this is a low budget movie. I was amazed at the director's (who also wrote) and composer's skills on this level. I suspect they will be in line for larger budget films. (The feeling I got with the music reminded me of the same feeling I had when I saw the opening scene to "Jaws.")Also, those two lame lines last so briefly that they were not able to distract me enough so I continued to watch as the story unfolded. The movie starts off as a straight-forward horror movie, then, for a brief moment, felt like a scifi, but never developed that thread. It is a horror film. I think horror fans will like it. Hec, I don't like horror movies but I gave this one a 9/10.-LDmy faith = http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/jbc33/
suspends your socks maybe
posted on 28 Aug 2009I guess no one really expects horror flicks to make complete sense.This "film" leaves any sense behind in the first 5 minutes. There are enough holes in story to drive a fleet of semi-trucks thru.Although there is some originality, the script writer tries to be too clever for anyone's good. There are so many "sub plots" the main storyline loses any coherence\continuity it becomes too much work to care about main characters\story.For those wanting to know what this is about. done wrong \ revenge \ get to it already will yaI could have found a better way to waste an hour or two.