Borderland (Horrorfest) (V)
| release date | March 18 2008 |
| studio | After Dark Films |
| director | Zev Berman |
| writer | Zev Berman |
| starring | Brian Presley, Rider Strong, Jake Muxworthy, Beto Cuevas, Sean Astin |
| rating | R |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
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1 Comments
This is the next “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” for our age…. Makes Wolf Creek look like Alice in Wonder land….
Zev Berman has saved the Horrorfest series with this film. It depicted the realization of the true story into a fiction thats real to you after you are done watching. Very few movies have that “this is real” feeling. Great work.
PCH
SPREAD THE DEAD!
This was a pretty good movie. I liked th eplot and story behind it also had some crazy death scenes. It had a very real and gritty feel to it which I think made it a pretty good horrorcrime movie.
This was the best of horrorfest in my opinion. What is really great is the 30 minute documentary on the dvd that tells you the true story behind the film. Excellent film and its always nice to see a hobit pop up as a bad guy. Check it out.
Best of the fest
Just viewed Borderland-great story, good torture scenes ( the eyes!) and made you think afterwards. Satisfying.
A little too gory and violent for my likings, but I liked it. On ly thing, was not scary at all
I dug this film. It was a good time with good acting. While I watching I was really interested in the what the next scene was going to offer. I was a little skeptical with Rider Strong in it but he did a good job and Sean Astin was really good also hanging up his hobbit feet and nailing this character.
WOW! Just look at the last few years , we’re starting to look a little bit more xenophobic more and more these days.Just how many movies have we seen in the past few years featuring stupid college kids that go partying in another country and end up dead? Is it because they don’t respect the locals? Is it because they don’t speak the language? Is it because they disrespected local customs with their arrogant attitudes,sexual promiscuity,partying,and drug use? Who knows really but overall we’re looking good here as all these films feature young healthy libidoious Americans going to another country and ending up dead. Whether it be crazy black market organ pirate murderers in Brazil (Turistas), or there was even crazed Mayan temple cultist in Mexico (The Ruins)..but holy shit that doesn’t even compare to drug dealing satan worshipping cults (in Mexico ..again..).
Pretty much I like this movie..good gore..Sean Astin as a bad guy (who still lisps) and plenty of gore and a few boobs (i think i cant remember)..and the hooker does anal..whats not to like
Go USA and don’t cross borders or travel..you’ll end up dead! RED WHITE AND BLUE!
This was possibly the only good part of hororfest 07…
great
This was a very well thought out and executed film in every sense.It was bold, and well shot. Very interesting and bloody at the right times.I highly enjoyed this film and what the director set out to do. We need more fresh talent like this working in horror and thriller films. Lord knows there is tons of crap out there.Kudos!!
I was surprised at how good some of the films to die for this year was, the first after dark film fest really bit the dust other than the gravedancers, which i felt was the only real solid one of the bunch. but this year is a real treat for the most part, Borderland is definatly one of their best offerings, well cast, good story, alot of violence, very original story that isnt always done alot, you feel you care for the characters and you fear the villians. which if that was the intention, as im sure it was, it succeeded very well with this.
This is a great horror movie that is brilliantly written and directed and excellently acted. Great character development and brilliant acting gets you truly invested in these characters. That makes the horror more horrifying. This makes for a disturbing and devastating movie. Excellent job Bev Zerman.
I enjoyed this crazy movie. Suspenceful, relentless, good horror/thriller.
I actually really liked this movie up until the very end.
The second best horror movie. The movie revolves around a group of buddys in mexico and they get caught up in a cult. I loved the movie its a great horror movie. Could of used a better ending.
See it
This movie was awesome it was completely worth my time it took a while to get. I ordered it from my local media store and it took like five months to come in. Teenage mischeif gone bad. Who in their right mind gets into a car with strangers any way. Apearently the kid from boy meets world. No but really it is good to see that Rider Strong is still going i guess. I really think he has carved a nitch for himself in the horror genre as a murder victim. With Cabin Fever behind him this movie was another notch on his belt. Their should be more horror movies with him as a victim. I also Loved the idea of a murderous cult making a sacrafice. This movie was worth ordering it. Not a bad movie at all. Human sacrafices and revenge what a wonderfull film. Excuse me Im off to watch Spun
Pretty good movie
very creepy flick about a murderous cult that kills beyond the border,it had me glued its pretty good!
The Horrorfest series has let me down over the past few months of watching them. Many of them ether lack a good plot or just aren’t creative. I own quite a few of the series and many collect dust on my shelf, Borderland wont.
This was a good film. The beginning is a little slow I felt but there’s and ere sense in the air as you watch. You have the ever present feel of uncertainty surrounding you as you watch these friends partake in vacationing pleasures. Then everything hits the fan and the movie takes off into a thriller filled with creativity, good acting and suspense.
The object I liked most about this movie was the restraint Berman observed. The plot of this film has plenty of space for a director to get the prop department goring everything up, however Zev didn’t give in to the temptation. I feel as of late many films are confusing good work with more gore and special effects. When I watch a film I want a good scare, creativity and proper use of gore. This movie hit all of the key points. Maybe less scare but this wasn’t a film based around how much blood we can squirt on people.
All and all I have to say this film had great aspects of realism, professionalism, and followed a good plot. This movie breathed life back into the Horrorfest series. Good flick give it a glance.
-Zombie
I thought this was the best horrorfest film of horrorfest 2
I liked this film alot. I was really looking forward to this one since I live in Mexico and what happens to these kids is definitely not out of the realm of possibility. There is people getting abducted and killed all the time down here so this film had a realness to it. It’s not as bad as the news would have you believe but it definitley has me thinking about things now. Great movie.
awsome
Far better than what I was expecting. Although to be fair, I wasn’t sure what to expect to begin with. All of the cast give exceptional performances. Thankfully there was no ‘gore just there to be gore’ vibe.
I’ve noticed that many of the torture movies are either American or European based, Europeans and Americans aren’t the only people who enjoy that pleasure, what about south of the border? Mexico is the home and setting for this film. Essentially telling the accounts of three college students who go to Mexico for beer and girls and end up getting tangled with a sadistic cult. This was based off a very similar incident in the town of Matamoros in 1989, where the cult members removed the brains and spinal cords of the human sacrifices. This movie depicts the gross and gruesome bits of the story to full and blood red detail. The acting and emotions seemed very real and the most horrible part was the killings, in the sense that they were real at one point or the other. Whether or not these American teens really lived and died didn’t matter, but the fates of those 12+ people are.
Lets get down to brass tax; the acting seemed pretty real and very emotionally driven. The chemistry that Brian Presley and Martha Higareda have together on screen was amazing and their characters were played off with dedication to the part. Jake Muxworthy and Rider Strong play Ed’s (Presley) friends who accompany him. Muxworthy’s performance was outstanding and seemed to have really gotten into his character. Rider Strong’s performance during the first half of the movie can be debatable, but when he gets kidnapped by one of the cult members and tortured, his somewhat mediocre acting skyrockets to amazing. Damián Alcázar plays Ulises, a detective who seeking redemption and to avenge his partners death. His performance was outstanding and almost believable, especially in the prologue. Marco Bacuzzi, who plays the sadistic butcher of the cult, does a phenomenal job brining this calm evil character to life on the big screen. Through out the movie he guts people, takes their heads, arms, and eyes and backstabs them. His speaking parts were somewhat limited, as well as his character’s on screen time but the parts that he did show up, were amazing. On an average, all of these actors and actresses did an amazing job giving life to such cliché-ridden teenagers. Their acting enhanced the illusion that these teenagers are real and that what is happening to them is realer.
The plot, as well as the way that the whole thing was shot, reminded me of Eli Roth’s Hostel. In this case, this was a Mexican version of Hostel with a deeper subtext than Hostel. I don’t know, something about this movie gave it depth, feel, emotion and style, but I can’t put my hand on it. Even though the storyline, kids captured by cult members, has been milked so many times through out history, there was some key ingredient that made this movie work. There where parts where you can feel what the actors and going through, especially the torture, and points where you feel for the actors and actresses after loosing someone close. This film utilized close-up shots to the extreme, which in the process reminded me of Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi trilogy (El Mariachi, Desperado and Once Upon A Time in Mexico). Coincidently they all take place in Mexico and one has a cult-like group. I can also see a heavy influence of Texas Chainsaw in this film, including both recent and original. Teens being hunted down and brought to a house where they have to face torture and where the family of this house eat and make “things” out of human appendages. The only difference between these two films was that Texas Chainsaw was based off of Ed Gein, who killed for an unknown reason, while Borderland’s satanic group was killing for a false god. The camera angles and they way that this movie was shot made it seem like there was somebody following around these teens with a camcorder and the establishing shots, as well as the social angles, were magnificently played out. This movie had a great warm tone to it, the way that any “South of the Border” movie should me shot. The characters gave this movie depth and feel, while the plot slowly drives you into mayhem and inevitably into a final confrontation of good and pure evil, a battle that is reminiscent of old spaghetti westerns and John Wayne movies. Overall, this movie was not jump out scary but more “Oh my god, that can’t be happening. What are they doing?” scary. It of coarse had to have hot Mexican girls and beautiful looking Americans, which for me is a bit cliché and at points the movie seems a bit over the top but I like it. I would recommend this movie to those who enjoy torture horror, Texas Chainsaw, Hostel and early Robert Rodriguez flicks. I certainly like it.
Re watchable? Not really.
The basis of the film is true but I’d rather watch the news footage about that cult than watch this again.
You would expect a revenge scene in the end that would really set up the film for a grand finale, but… no. Not really, pretty lame disappointing.
The characters could have tried harder to save their friend. If I was the boy’s mother, I would have blamed them.
the is a great movie its kind of a underground movie so it gets really underestimated
its not bad, creepy concept
It was pretty good and intense with the sense of dread throughout and brutal but it really didn’t bring anything new to the genre but it was one of the better film of the horrorfest. Not a must see.
No Gimmicks Or Cheap Parlor Tricks Here! Borderland is a fantastic film that keeps you interested without the use of Sex or Gore. While it has moments of both, those themes are not over used. I will not be going back to Mexico after watching this film.
Entertaining film. I have to say one of the best from the horrorfest film sets.
not a bad movie at all…it comes really close to becoming a really good, but it is missing some good horror film moments in the end…
Not too impressed with this one. Just didn’t find the bordergang thugs or movie happenings to be all that involving–kinda boring with just a few exceptions. The shaky-cam on action parts got a bit overly-annoying at times as well. I know this is based on true events, but the cult stuff later in the movie came off a bit silly and uninteresting. No replay value, and wouldn’t watch it a first time if I had a mulligan.
Excellent film with great character development and a pretty fast paced story. My only complaint is the fact that the three protagonists were supposed to be fresh out of high school, pre-college aged, and they were portrayed by actors who were at least in their late twenties if not early thirties. Sissy Spacek pulled it off, these guys- not so much.
Not bad for being inspired by a true story but it still wasn’t anything new or special it was a bit fucked up but hey its Mexico anything you think that could happen there dose Other then that worth a watch.
Re-Watchable? Yes really! Good for being inspired
by true events.
Something of a mystical thriller with horror elements thrown in. Solid production and a professional feel. The leading cast were very effective and the script was tight and interesting.
all i have to say is this movie is terrorfying
one of the very few foreign films i REALLY dug.
Surprised at all the good reviews, considering I thought it was awful. “Based on a true story” apparently means that this one time people were killed in mexico and it was related to Satan. On film, that means that Mexico is a pit of filth and despair and you’re lucky to make it out alive. Oh, and there’s a shit ton of machetes everywhere all over the place. More information here:
http://thewolfmancometh.com/2010/11/02/borderland-2007/
The second best film to come out of Horrorfest. This strong tourist-in-danger pic opens with a grisly, jolting sequence and maintains it’s atmosphere of exotic danger and tension throughout it’s running time. One of the neat things about this film is that it’s(relatively) grounded in realism; the situations are hellish, but all things you could see being reported on the evening news. Unfortunately Borderlands Achilles Heel is its profoundly disappointing climax; its a let down to say the least. That being said I still highly recommend this film.
Probably one of the better horrorfest films could off been better.
I was curious and excited about this movie since it earned a huge amount of positive reviews – but eventually, I ended up totally disappointed.
What do people like so much about “Borderland”? IMO there isn’t much to like about it.
Most of the time it’s horrendously boring and tedious, every single character is an unlikeable dork (especially all the annoying sect members), the soundtrack is too unremarkable, the Hostel-like plot is lame and the script is a predictable mess.
Furthermore, the film itself is waaay too long (105 minutes) and all the washed out colours make it look even cheaper than it actually is. Director Berman should have followed Steven Soderbergh’s example in “Traffic” where this washed out colour scheme looks just stunning.
At least, the opening scene is pretty great and we get to see loads of excellent gore (ripped out eyeballs, cut off hands, beheadings…) – nevertheless, I already forgot about this lamefest.
“Borderland” is the kind of horror film that most genre fans will right up. One minute, it’s an easy-going dramedy about three friends chasing beaver, and in another; it’s a violent, loud, unnecessary thrill-ride limited to screams of bloody murder and torture chambers. One cannot help but be reminded of “Hostel”; which also contained most of what “Borderland” does, although with much more gratuitous amounts of blood and boobs. There was nothing particularly wrong with that film; just that, in my honest opinion, there was nothing really right about it either, save for some aspects that worked in spite of my general aversion to graphic violence and gore.
If only this film worked in the same ways. It’s about a trio of young men (played by Brian Presley, Jake Muxworthy, and Rider Strong; respectively) who decide to make a trip to Mexico for one reason only: the strip clubs, thus, the women. Each one of them gets lucky, more or less, and they have a pretty good first night during their stay. Little do they know, however, that there are more sinister forces at work.
Zev Berman, the writer and director of the film, makes one crucial mistake early on: he opens “Borderland” with a scene that reveals the horror behind this story. In this case, the horror comes in the form of a sacrificial cult somewhere in Mexico. The opening reveals not only their existence, but also that the law cannot interfere with their practices; adding a problem to what was assumed to be one of the many advantages of making the trip to Mexico in the first place, which was the lack of law enforcement itself.
The boys take hallucinogenic drugs, wake up in the morning, and discover that one of them is not there. We know where he went; but they’re (almost) clueless. In an attempt to make these stupid kids look smart, Berman has them thinking right off the bat about a possible kidnapping, because stereotyping all Mexicans to be violent capers is just, I don’t know, easier?
Eventually, they’re all kidnapped and brought to the cult; one of the members being a guy named Randall (played by Sean Astin), who initially seems like a decent guy, but develops into no more than another cult member lacking in his sanity or his humanity. Astin plays the role unevenly; I just couldn’t take him seriously as a villain character, especially having seen him in the “Lord of the Rings” films, where he is so much better.
The film consistently attempts to blend philosophy on religion with gory special effects; and for some, it’s a formula that will work. A lot of horror fans seem to appreciate this one; they would even go as far as to call it “crafty”. Me, I think it’s vile, mindless, and uninteresting. It tries to be an intellectual’s horror movie, but it fails so miserably; sometimes to the point where it’s an almost unbearable example of failure. Does it have good cinematography and promising direction? Yeah, sure it does. But as a storyteller, Berman displays little talent or creativity, and most of the time, he relies shock value through the bloodshed, which is ironically never too shocking to begin with. He could have made this idea really work if he possessed the proper tools to execute a horror movie the way that true genre aficionados would prefer; but instead of nail-biting suspense or edge-of-your-seat thrills, Berman would rather show people getting their heads and hair cut off, which will either get old or under your skin; take your pick.
The film was distributed by the boys (and girls) who run the After Dark Horror Fest. This one was released through their “8 Films to Die For” label; in the year of 2007. Let me just say that, in the case of the film, after dark certainly isn’t late enough for me.
Gritty, Suspenceful and full of tense sequences Borderland is one of the most watchable films in the After Dark films and it is also the first best After Dark film second goes to Jim Mickle’s Mulberry Street. A really nice film that is based on a true story of the case of Adolfo De Jesus Constazo who killed a student from the University of Texas Junior Mark Kilroy. The plot of the film really follows a lot about the truth of the Mexican cult who performs human sacrifices on people. The concept of Borderland is really realistic and it follows the true story of Adolfo De Jesus Constazo’s murder on the University of Texas Junior Mark Kilroy in the Spring of 1989. Borderland shares similarities to Eli Roth’s Hostel only darker and grittier than Hostel. For films like these Borderland is a film that beat most Horror films and makes the viewers want to watch more on every level. This film usually makes the viewers feel scared about the true story of Mexico’s murders and crimes along with the murder of Mark Kilroy in the spring of 1989. The first 15 minutes of Borderland is full of suspense and tension and the suspense and tension in Borderland is unsettling and unnerving and a lot more serious than Eli Roth’s Hostel. Like Hostel where that film only focus more on the on screen violence instead of focusing on the suspense and tension and most of all the atmosphere. Borderland is a more serious movie because the film itself is full of suspense, tension and an atmosphere and it follows a lot on Mexico’s murders and crimes along with the death of Mark Kilroy. The concept of this movie is realistic and full of tense sequences. This is a film that is a force to be reckoned and it has the right formula than Hostel. While the movie is full of suspense, tension and a dark atmosphere and it also follows the true story of Mexico’s murders and crimes and the case of Adolfo De Jesus Constazo’s murder on the University of Texas Junior Mark Kilroy. Borderland also focus more on the graphic violence and torture. Borderland is seriously a force to reckon on the history of torture cinema. The first 15 minutes of this movie is sheer on the brutality, graphic violence and gore. For the first 15 minutes the movie is full of violent sequences that are intense and suspenceful. The slicing of eyeballs, The cutting of limbs, The biting of lips and tongue with they’re own teeth and the butchering and cutting of body parts like the arms and legs along with the slicing of tendons with Machetes and Butcher knives are one of the most violent and unsettling moments in the history of torture cinema where the viewer covers they’re own eyes whenever they watch these kinds of films. The scenes where they torture I don’t mainly find those as well to be torture scenes but I also find those to be ritual sacrifice scenes because the way they do they’re human sacrifice towards people is like a ritual sacrifice because after they torture they’re victim they pray to they’re God after performing the torture is a ritual sacrifice as well. The nastiest scene in the film is when Phil gets his tongue ripped off with one bite from the cult member is one of the nastiest scenes in Borderland. While the most brutal scene in Borderland is where Henry gets hacked to death by the cult members with they’re Machetes on the top of the Motel that is one of the most brutal scenes in the history of Horror cinema. The acting is great all of the casts did a good job with their performances in the film. Rider Strong(Cabin Fever)did a good job with his performance in the film. The beautiful Martha Higareda did a good job with her performance in the film and she also looks gorgeous, beautiful and stunning as well in the movie and Lord of The Rings actor Sean Astin did a good job with his performance in the movie as the bad guy Randall. Writer and Director Zev Berman did a good job with his work in the film and he really followed the case of Mexico’s murders and crimes along with the case of Adolfo De Jesus Constazo’s murder of University of Texas Junior Mark Kilroy in the Spring of 1989. Overall This movie gets a 10/10.