I love horror films, and grew up during the Golden Age of 80s slasher flicks. I'm not some elitist snob who only gives big-budget films a chance, I approach all horror films WANTING to like them (this movie was no different). Based solely on the online reviews, I bought the DVD without having seen the movie. Now I remember why I don't do that. The acting is abysmal. I get that the movie is meant to pay homage to 80s films, but that would be an insult to 80s movies. It's like saying that the Ford Pinto was built to pay homage to the Chevy Bel-Air. I get that the budget was in the low thousands, but, still, "Blair Witch" cost less than that and had several things this doesn't, like atmosphere, suspense, talent, etc. I just finished watching the movie and am fighting the urge to get in my car just so I can have the satisfaction of throwing the disc out the window at high speed. It has no personality, the effects are sub-par, and the monsters look like a cartoon version of better monsters from other movies. There is one upside, though: I've been craving a sequel to the timeless classic "Dog Soldiers" for years, and I now realize I can make my own. Shooting begins in my basement tomorrow, as soon as my cell phone is fully charged.
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kmrich-2838625 December 2018
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nick-huntsman9028 November 2018I'd never heard of this film before happening across it at my local Walmart. For $10, it looked like it was worth it to check it out based on the reviews.
Let me just say, the reviews are definitely skewed. The only redeeming factor this film has is the werewolf costumes, but we don't see them nearly enough. I will say, going into this, I knew it was gonna be a low-budget B horror movie, but the acting, writing, and directing really bring the joy factor down. It's worth a watch if you're into that sort of thing, but don't expect a lot out of this one. -
shareefqb30 August 2019Well ... It's a low budget horror so it delivers what you expect to watch.. the atmosphere is good .. the music is suitable .. acting is bad but overall it is not a complete disaster compared to other horror I've definitely seen worse
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roadrage001311 January 2019Pretty sure everyone involved with this film got on here and gave this movie 10-8 stars? That has to be the only reason it is rated so high. The story itself is pretty predictable. That isn't even a bad thing. Most movies are. It's the acting and the fact that it seems as though this is the first movie all of these people seem to have been in, and with zero acting experience. There is no chemistry with anyone in the movie, and the execution of it was just as bad as the acting. I think the only reason I gave this 2 stars was for the use of non CGI effects. I suggest you run away and don't pay attention to the high rating. Wolf Cop is an Oscar winner compared to this atrocity.
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ghorne-9799822 October 2018First off let me Begin by saying I understand they did this movie on a very low budget between 10000 and $35,000. But from the very first scene the acting was just horrible. The abusive father / husband was bad and it was just awful acting the rest of the way. The script was fine, every story has its plot holes but it was just the delivery and the direction that was just awful. The two actresses playing the daughter and the mother were just awful. Then after they made it to this abandoned house, first of all I don't know how they made it out of the car. That was totally unbelievable. But I digress, once they made it to this house it was a crazy dude that was just awfu at acting. The werewolf costumes were quite nice except for later in the movie when one of the captives turns into a werewolf. She looks awful as a werewolf. It's the worst werewolf costume I've ever seen in my life. My wife is looking at me like really. It's a movie that you have to see to believe how awful it is. If anybody in this review section says they liked it, then they're friends of the writer or cast members or had something to do with this movie because it's God awful.
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bigervin19 October 2019Listen, I'm all for B-movies, but this seems more like a high-school film project. Kids make better movies on YouTube. The fake ratings and reviews are pretty obvious for this one. Props to whoever made the movie poster though, because that sucked me right in. A massive waste of my time, no offense.
2/10 because of the great poster. -
etschuetz19 October 2018Bonehill Road is an interesting title. Yes, it felt as if there were two films wrapped into one, but it worked. What makes it work? The fact that it harkens back to what the film was attempting to capture. That 80's-esque vibe of the classic monster film. Especially with the use of practical make up effects.
Sure, the acting in parts can be a bit rough, but that again goes back to the roots of this film. To not have an appreciation for this type of film, and the directing that went into it leans towards someone that has not experienced films over the years. -
Bonehill Road is a film I desperately want to love. In concept, this should be one of my favorite films of the year; an old school, practical effects heavy werewolf film with a highly feminist angle exploring the looming and lingering effects of abuse. Its in the execution that the movie lets me down. Bonehill Road is a shockingly poor film from a filmmaking standpoint. I can forgive the poor production values because of the low budget, but I can't excuse the film's most fundamental failures. Does that make it unenjoyable? Absolutely not. Even if Bonehill Road is the farthest thing from a good movie, that doesn't stop it from being a highly entertaining and lovable one and one of my favorite guilty pleasures of recent years.
The first thing that really stands out negatively in Bonehill Road is the acting. It ranges from bad to Ed Wood quality, but nobody gives a good performance here. Eli DeGeer seems like she has genuine acting talent, and there are certainly believable and impactful moments in her performance, (Particularly after her abduction) but subpar writing and directing make her performance come off as forced and unconvincing for the most part. Ana Rojas-Plumberg is awful in this film. As someone who suffered from similar paternal abuse to what she suffered growing up, she does a miserable job showing the anger, trauma and unease her father put into her life. Everything from her bug-eyed facial acting to the odd affectations of her vocal delivery is absolutely terrible. Her only convincing acting comes from her reactions to the Epps' mutilations of a local mailman, and later on to her mother's death. Douglas Epps plays his role of a serial killer like an edgy teenager's portrayal of The Joker. It's not scary, it's not interesting and is funny for all the wrong reasons.
To be fair to the cast, they certainly aren't helped by the stilted and awkward dialogue. Laurence Olivier would have trouble getting an ounce of believability from these overly expository and almost cartoonishly vulgar lines. If you thought Rob Zombie's use of foul language in his dialogue in his Halloween films was obnoxious, just wait till you get a taste of some of the clunkers here. I can't recall a single line of dialogue I found to be enjoyable, clever or well written. This could very well be a wonderful cast of actors led astray by a miserable script. As bad as all their performances are, they certainly all have their moments.
The sound design is also worth mentioning for its poor quality. It's not so much the film having poor audio that bothers me, it's that there was clearly no effort put into the effects. Many of them are free assets that can be downloaded right off of YouTube (And poorly implemented to boot. The sounds used for the chewing of steak sound identical to a monster crunching on bones) and some have even been blatantly taken from other films. Any werewolf movie fan worth their salt will immediately recognize the howls of the werewolves as taken directly from An American Werewolf in London. It's not similar, it's not reminiscent, it's the same sound. If this were a free fan film off of YouTube, I could understand, but the filmmakers are expecting money for this. A work of blatant plagiarism.
The story on its own merits is actually quite good. I love the idea of a mother and daughter escaping the abuse of a violent husband only to find themselves in increasingly violent situations, now having to free others from their own monsters. The characters are likable and surprisingly well developed and I definitely wanted all of them to survive. They're the kind of characters that allowed me to share in their moments of triumph and smile as they dispatched and defeated the various monsters that had haunted their lives. It's just a shame they weren't better acted, is all.
The practical effects are absolutely astounding. The werewolf effects are realistic, gorgeous, unique and, above all, scary. They kept me invested in the film and helped make me more concerned for the lives of the characters. There was no question that these creatures could do a lot of damage. These are, without a doubt, very imposing and frightening beasts and they really fit the wild, backwoods tone of the film quite well. The one exception to this is Lucy. Although the effects behind her transformation are admittedly incredible (And the transformation itself shockingly well acted), the end result looks like a furry cosplay made under $1,000. The gore effects are quite impressive as well. Bonehill Road is probably the most gruesome and violent Horror movie I've seen since Victor Crowley and the blood and gore implemented in the film is just so deliciously grotesque. It almost feels like something out of a Troma film at times.
While most of the sound design is rather poor, the music is a major exception. The musical score utilizes synth wonderfully to bring the 80s Horror vibe it's so obviously going for to glorious life. The edgier, more "rockish" parts of the score work surprisingly well too, bringing a real sense of edge and danger to the more intense moments of the film. It's not just the musical score that I enjoyed, but the songs as well. The film features some great tracks from Sea of Polaris, Mostly Autumn and I Need a Light that bring a feeling of enchantment and almost other-worldliness to the picture. Does the film earn that feeling? Probably not. Nonetheless, the whole soundtrack really is a thing of beauty.
Bonehill Road being a bad movie definitely disappointed me. Werewolf movies are my favorite genre and this one was a definite swing and a miss. But I'd rather take a fun werewolf film that doesn't quite work over no werewolf film at all. -
LoremIpsum32117 October 2018I like horror and werewolf movies, so if I give most of them a watch.
And most of them are a waste of time, no exception here.
The story can be told in 1-2 sentences, the directing is not overwhelming - to say the least - the actors are clearly inexperienced and most should definitely stick to their day jobs.
Well, some effects were not too bad, actually.
I understand this movie had a severely low budget, but in my opinion that's not really an excuse for the so called story, acting and directing,
Might be harsh to give it a such a negative review - it's a fan project where some heart might have been involved - but the ratings are way too high, and people shouldn't be suckered into watching something they are likely to regret afterwards.
Only go for it if you're really into low budget indie horror, otherwise you're better off just watching one of the very few good werewolf movies once more. -
mbw02027719 October 2018Bonehill Road is a fun trip back to the horror films of my youth. You can tell Todd Sheets and company are horror fans as they captured both the look and feel of my favorite horror movies from my youth. This movie dances that fine line between camp and pure terror so well you will be really glad you gave it a watch.
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moocowmoo-581-8918819 October 2018Todd Sheets has been around; from his direct-to-video releases back in the early 90's up to the latest rejuvenated films of the last 4-5 years, Todd Sheets has been making low to micro budget horror flicks that generally satisfy the desires of his fans for gore, violence, and overall good horror story telling. His early efforts do not compare at all with his current work, although they are wacky fun in their own right. But Todd Sheets has served an apprenticeship in his craft, and we as fans and viewers have gone along for the ride for close to 40 pictures.
Bonehill Road is Todd Sheets' werewolf peon to the classic fur-and-fangs shredders of the early 80's, like The Howling and American Werewolf in London. But its also a mash-up of those traditional werewolf stories with his own traditional sadistic stalker/torture victim tales. This is both a strength and a weakness, IMO, because it opens things up story-wise that might not have been done before, especially with werewolves; however, it also feels as though the gore effects are in there mainly to cater to his longtime fans - Sheets isn't known as the King of Splatter for nothing.
But he has really grown as a director and writer: the cinematography is very good, the shot selection really stands out, the pacing is good, and all of the actors really shine, thanks to the director. In a way, my feeling is that he has grown beyond the splatter effects and should concentrate on telling a good story with good characters - he has shown with this film that he can do that, and maybe even jump to the mainstream. He's done the splatter thing and the sadistic killer thing, and now I feel that he is ready to move on - after Clownado, of course!
Shouts out to Eli Greer and Ana Rojas-Plumberg, who made for an excellent, believable, and sympathetic mother and daughter team, and really carry the movie. And as usual, the always wonderful Leanna Quigley only adds to the panache of the cast, although I personally would have liked to have seen her with a beefier role. Douglas Epps's schtick is a bit much for me, personally. The splatter effects are decent, though not always believable, and frankly not always necessary, especially in the scenes where the camera lingers on them for gross-out effects. Maybe its because I am old and ready fer the glue factory, but I cud do with a lot less than that. The practical effects are pretty darn good, cowsidering the budget, and are refreshing to see - no obvious CGI here! The transformations are a bit slow and laborious, but overall believable, and the werewolf suits and masks were very well done.
Todd, you've come a long way since Prehistoric Bimbos in Armageddon City (still my personal favorite!), keep up the good work. And for those of you who want a good werewolf movie with a couple of twists, this cud be the one for you!
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tarahickman-8629429 July 2019Oh well...at least I had time to think about what I would watch after this
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knightox26 October 2019Sad to say in a movie universe full of vampires and zombies there still aren't very many decent lycanthrope films out there. "Bonehill Road" definitely fits in the void of pitiful werewolf flicks. In fact it has more to do with a nasty psychopath cannibal than the actual werewolves themselves. The protagonists are an abused mother and her daughter who manage to get themselves captured by a random cannibalistic psycho after leaving their abandon car. This mom and daughter (who couldn't act) left their vehicle after getting it trashed after stopping to check on an animal they thought they hit. They could have kept driving it but no, to keep the story going they had to be dumb and they were good at that. Once inside the house with the butchering psycho, the two watched him mangle a couple of previous hostages. They eventually knocked him out but stupidly left him alive to do more damage before throwing him outside to some waiting werewolves. These werewolves (men in gorilla suits) were shown periodically between scenes just kicking it around the house, looking for something to do. They slowly dismember the trashy psycho cannibal as he cusses them and flips them off. Finally Grampa arrives after miraculously tracking them down to the house. He happens to have a handy axe and dispatches one of the weregorillas on his way inside. Other silliness occurs before they attempt to escape. One girl in a bathtub, who the cannibal psycho had been feeding on, turns into a pitifully made up were-creature and attacks the truck but nothing really happened, just like nothing of value really happens in this whole movie. Finally, the men in the were-gorilla 🦍 costumes just stand there and watch as the survivors drive off down Bonehead Road. And that's "The End" of this sad, painful movie.
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coldwarkid2 June 2019I started to watch this on Prime, based on the 6.9 IMDB score. To be clear I only watched the 1st 10 minutes, to that point it was so awful I couldn't bear to watch any more. The first few seconds already revealed terrible acting, unconvincing action, amateurish camera work and awful dialogue. At around 5 minutes in the the female lead has a wound to left of her mouth, in the previous scene it was on the right. That's what really done it for me { I went back and checked, there was no mirror shot or other explanation).. I know that there are many films that polarise an audience, these are generally made with passion and/or enthusiasm, this isn't one of them. If you value your time this is one to avoid.
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chrisspencer-425297 January 2020I like to look for under the radar horror films and give them a shot. Given that this title got a 6 plus rating from imdb users, I thought that this had a chance of being a decent movie. Wrong! Before I get all negative, I'd like to point out the one positive that I observed. Millie Milan, who played Tina, gave the only exceptional acting performance. She was solid throughout despite the amateur acting hour around her. The plot was below average at best. The acting, for the most part, stunk. And the cinematography was one of the worst I've ever had the displeasure of viewing. Stay away, not worth the time.
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macfaefan24 April 2019Low budget with poorly written script. Many seem to really like the movie and I really tried to find some positive points. Couldn't find any. One of the main things that bothered me was her wound on her(the Mom) lip. It was on right side,then middle then left. Then movie just turned more 70's slasher. While the Werewolves didn't show themselves much.
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horrorchambers27 October 2017The domestic horrors of Bonehill Road are emphasized quickly and effectively early in the film, establishing a Mother and Daughter in serious need of a life change, on the run from a seriously abusive relationship. The film gives just the right amount of backstory that we need to care about the characters and paint a vivid picture of their plight and once they hit the road to escape the darkness at home, their trip soon takes an even darker turn when they become stranded on an isolated road deep in the woods, right where a bloodthirsty pack of Werewolves lurk. The rest of the film is pure survivalist terror at it's best.
The tension and intensity mount from scene to scene, twisting and pushing the scare factor up, piece by piece. It's what we don't see, at least not in full, that makes the film work so well. We get glimpses of something in the darkness of the woods, closing in on the Mother and Daughter, stuck in an impossible situation. Alone but smart, these characters avoid many clichés and pitfalls of other Horror films by reacting like REAL people, not cardboard cutouts. Also injecting some refreshing realism to the setup is that in this secluded setting cell phones actually work. There's no signal-hunting, but, also realistic, there is an honest and believable reason the cell phone is of no use to our characters.
As the Mother, Emily, Eli DeGeer gives a stunning performance. She struggles with keeping it together for her daughter. Almost losing it a few times only to bounce back from the edge of a breakdown to find strength when she truly needs it. Newcomer Ana Rojas-Plumberg steals the show here as the daughter, Eden. At first she is angry at her Mother for tearing her away from her friends and school. But as the film progresses, not only does she grow to truly relate and understand why her Mother made the choices she did, but she also steps up and finds an inner strength to overcome her fears.
Superbly acted, well-paced, and proficient with its chills, Bonehill Road is truly a visceral, sometimes harrowing, experience. It is very compact, tight and focused toward its ultimate goal of keeping us in a constant state of suspense, wondering where the monsters might come from and throwing an incredible mid-movie twist at the audience. And honestly, I found the film to be a resounding success. But there's more to it than the obvious werewolf component, much more, housed in some really outstanding performances from every member of the small cast, who more than convincingly convey the heartbreaking and occasionally shocking moments of a well thought out script.
Through it all, director Todd Sheets shows tremendous growth as a storyteller. He has a firm grip on this story and creates a film that is truly an EXPERIENCE. A truly chilling movie that showcases fantastic performances and the work of a filmmaker who's willing to take some risks and makes it a priority to truly envelop the viewer in a nightmarish situation. It's an engaging and worthy watch that is a fresh and original vision of familiar material. Pulled together by a Director who shows no fear in his choices. Todd Sheets and his team deserve credit for creating truly menacing and terrifying practical monsters. Shot perfectly and shown JUST the right amount to keep them scary without showing too much.
Bonehill Road is a low budget monster movie. And everyone involved is clearly proud of that fact, yet Director Todd Sheets has taken great care here to tell an actual story, with three-dimensional characters and deeper drama that perfectly mounts the well-crafted tension. Considering the meager budget, this film succeeds in so many incredible ways. Using only practical effects and NO CGI at all, the Werewolves are impressive, the splatter effects realistic and well done. The sound design is creepy and the lighting and camera composition always impress. Todd chose to shoot the film in a hand-held style, but not shaky cam. Everything is framed well, and each shot seems to be composed for maximum effect. In fact, I found the camera-work to be just as much a part of the story as the acting and creature effects.
There are many twists to the film that I will not give away. To do so would truly ruin the fun ride that you will experience on Bonehill Road. This is a great addition to the Werewolf genre, done with real love for the subject. Old school in it's approach, made with all practical effects, but done in a very unique and new way that really impressed me. This film is a creepy, scary, intense experience. The perfect Halloween movie. -
fame-0656410 May 2020I absolutely love horror and will watch any and every flick that comes my way. I am not sure why most low budget movies find it so difficult to write a believable script and hire talent to deliver. This movie is yet another example of this problem with low budget horror. The idea and execution were not the worst I have ever seen and some of the FX were actually good. I always enjoy a good monster movie, so the watch was certainly not a waste of time, but on grand scale of things, it lands at a 3 out of 10. The director, Sheets, seems like a very likeable guy and I hope he goes on to do bigger things in the future! I think if he had a good script supervisor, a casting director and found some competent actors (they are out there), he could go somewhere. Good luck Mr. Sheets, please keep at it, just because your budget is small, doesn't mean you can't class it up a little. You can do it!
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BandSAboutMovies26 October 2022Emily (Eli DeGeer) and Edith Stevens (Ana Rojas-Plumberg) go from one bad moment to another in this.
Terrified and alone, they are stranded in the woods, hunted by a werewolf. When they find shelter in a nearby home, things only get worse. They must work together to get out alive as a family of werewolves close in for the kill.
I kind of love the perils of these characters, where things just keep getting worse for them throughout the movie. Even finding three women inside the house of Coen Anders (Douglas Epps) - including Linnea Quigley - and having Edith's father Rhett (Gary Kent) heading off to save them might not be enough to protect them.
Some people might be put off by the fact that this movie is advertised as a werewolf story and that's only part of it. As for me, I was excited because I really had no idea where things were spinning out of control to next. It's always a treat to watch one of Todd Sheets' movies, because you know you're getting some wild ideas, practical effects and a creative force who truly cares about entertaining his audience. -
paul_haakonsen19 October 2019Well, I was suckered in by the movie cover of "Bonehill Road", because it definitely seemed interesting, and I've always enjoyed werewolves in movies since being a kid. So naturally I sat down to watch this 2017 movie.
Turned out that this is a low budget horror movie, but there is nothing wrong with that in itself. But when the movie is weighed down by a lack of proper storyline and interesting characters then it becomes a problem. And that is what happened in "Bonehill Road". The storyline was so boring and mundane that I gave up halfway through the movie, I just simply couldn't endure any more of the nonsense that was passing for a storyline and script.
And it didn't help that the characters were so flaccid that I didn't even care about what they were named, much less what motivated and drove them.
I will say that for a low budget horror movie, then the werewolves in the movie were actually nicely made. The costumes looked good, detailed and interesting despite the fact that it was so clearly just masks and suits, given the immovable faces parts.
I have zero interest in returning to finish the rest of "Bonehill Road", because it just utterly failed to captivate me or entertain me.
My rating of "Bonehill Road" is a mere three out of ten stars, based on the fact that this is a werewolf movie after all and because of the werewolves themselves looked rather interesting.
If you enjoy a proper werewolf movie, then I wouldn't suggest you waste your time, money or effort on "Bonehill Road". Some of us did so you don't have to. -
petear-brown19 October 2018Low budget horror maestro Todd Sheets returns!
Let's get this straight, if you don't understand the appeal of low to mid budget movies without masses of CGI and star names then this movie is not for you as none of Todd's previous output will.
One gory scene leads straight into the next with superb manual effects and the fantastic cast drawing you in and providing something very few Hollywood horrors manage. A believable yet frightening experience.
Oh, and it has original scream queen Linnea Quigley in it. What more could you want? -
First off, I love werewolves, the classic tales from An American Werewolf in London (1981) to An American Werewolf in Paris (1997) to the last decent werewolf film, Howl (2015). I am always looking and waiting for someone in Hollywood to make a solid werewolf film as there aren't many in general to date.
I stumbled across this because well, werewolf, so I check previous reviews from others to find its low rating. I watched the preview to "watch the movie" and it's all I needed to see. It's extremely low budget which past rating(s) expressed this but seeing the preview was enough for me. It feels like this was a college student's film project; it's common to come across poorly made films where the art cover is better than the actual film itself. I think this is how they catch your attention to at least LOOK at the movie knowing it's bad just by creating artistic art covers. I can't with this one.
I'll just go back to waiting for the day when a good, "OMG" werewolf film is produced. -
interfacegaming29 April 2020In this day and age werewolf films are rare. This one though, although laughably bad was worth watching. If you look past the complete continuity errors of everyone's bruises and cuts, the rubber and plastic of the werewolves, the attack with the frying pan and the insanity of the actor who plays Coen then you will find a gem of bad acting worth watching. My favourite part is at the end, the flashback scene only 5 minutes after the mom dies and the fact there are no childhood memories. Oh and the fact that the survivors are just kinda fine with the sacrifice of their daughter/mother. Watch it with mild expectations and you'll have a laugh.
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harshahz2 October 2019Waste movie, I wasted my time watching this. I would've given negative rating if there was one.