Watch The Burrowers

In the late 1800s, a town in the American west falls victim to a sinister threat lurking beneath the earth's surface in the horror-western film, The Burrowers. When a family disappears without a trace, a group of men sets out to rescue them, only to encounter a far more terrifying entity than they had ever anticipated. The film opens with a scene of a group of Native Americans being attacked by an unknown enemy before cutting to the small, isolated town of Bright Hope. When a local family, the O'Dwyers, are kidnapped, Sheriff Hunt (played by Clancy Brown, known for his roles in Shawshank Redemption and Highlander) quickly sets out with a posse of volunteers to bring them back. Among the group are a young cowboy, Arthur O'Dwyer (David Busse), who is desperately in love with Samantha, the daughter of the missing family, and a Native American tracker, named Keaton (Harley Coriz), who has his own personal motives for joining the search.

As they move deeper into the hostile, untamed wilderness surrounding the town, the group discovers that they are being hunted by a monster that they have never encountered before. The creature is fast, stealthy, and deadly, and is revealed to be a subterranean species known as burrowers. These vicious creatures are seemingly immune to bullets and have razor-sharp claws that they use to drag their victims beneath the earth's surface. As they continue on, the group is plagued by gruesome discoveries of the burrowers' previous victims and forced to endure brutal, gory attacks from the creatures.

The Burrowers is an impressive blend of genres, combining elements of the western genre with those of classic horror movies. The film's director J.T. Petty (known for his work on The Colony and Hellbenders) does a fantastic job of creating a bleak, unforgiving world, where the characters are constantly struggling against the harsh elements and the terrors that lurk in the darkness that further adds to the suspense.

The performances in the movie are also noteworthy. Clancy Brown's portrayal of Sheriff Hunt stands out the most, as his character is a necessary and grounding presence in the chaos of the movie. He is a veteran of the frontier, understanding the harsh realities of the Wild West and the dangers that it poses, and he provides a level of gravitas to the film. David Busse does a competent job in his role as the young, inexperienced cowboy and provides a convincing portrayal of a man caught up in a world that he never wanted a part of.

The film's climax is exhilarating and terrifying, as the survivors finally confront the burrowers and uncover their deadly motivations. The tension is cranked up to an intensifying level, as the creatures prove to be fearsome and difficult adversaries, being one of the strongest parts of the movie.

Overall, The Burrowers is an underrated horror-western that offers a fresh and unique perspective on the genre. It does so by conjuring both admiration and trepidation for the Old West in a way that few horror-westerns have ever done before. Its balance between slow, quiet scares and explosive action is refreshing, and the film is a solid and unforgettable experience for those who are up for gory horror with a Western twist that will keep you invested in the story from beginning to end. The movie is thought-provoking, hauntingly realistic, and ultimately one of the most rewarding films of its kind.

The Burrowers is a 2008 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 36 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.7.