The Garden (2006)

Really great actors bring the only grace to shine on this apocalyptic poppycock on a horse farm. Even discounting plot holes and logical inconsistencies, this utterly incoherent mess tries to re-frame the Book of Revelations as a dysfunctional family affair smelling of alcohol and cow-dung. Christian platitudes replace dialog (eg, "Love the sinner, Sam. Hate the sin"), and the competent cinematography is otherwise awash in gratuitous symbolism. But don't mistake this movie for a bible class. Like most movies of this genre, it's a mash-up of lurid symbolism from Genesis and Revelations, with little relevance to anyone who hasn't stocked up their basement for the End Times.

This movie start just like The Shining and sometime it's feels like you are watching The Omen! Plot: A troubled young boy and his father on a road trip stumble upon a rural farm where the elderly owner has sinister plans for the both of them involving witchcraft and evilThis movie is not great but far far far away from being a really bad movie I did enjoy this movie, there were some great creepy scenes this (This did NOT have those silly scares scenes) i love bathroom scenes and Mirrors stuff (Least that one scene from this movie better the movie called Mirrors) and Farther get angry with son (it might be a bit of the The Shining again) but it works very well with the rest of the movie Acting was not bad at all it was actually really good!Some might say this is a The Shining rip of It far from it.7/10 Good movie

In my opinion, this film was innovative and compelling yet at the same time it slightly lacked the ability to grip me as a spectator. Mind you, I watched the entire film and thought it was a good concept. The metaphor of the fathers drink addiction and his temptation for the devils urges was very well done. Adam Taylor Gordans superb acting performance was very well needed in this film. The ending was perhaps a little confusing, but, who knows, perhaps it was the best ending possible.Storyline - 8/10, acting - 8/10, Cinematography - 8/10I rate this film overall 8/10.I recommend this film to anybody who's a fan of the genre, even though the genre escapes me right now. Try not to get confused by the plot like I slightly did.

A troubled father and son find themselves staying farm that was the site of the Garden of Eden, and their evil host wants them to repeat history's first mistake in this interesting misfire. I find myself in a bit of a quandary with movies like this. I have given worse films better reviews because of a varied level of expectation. If, for instance, "Dark Town," had the same production values and the level of acting talent on display in this film, I would have been thumbs-down on it. However, as it was, I recommend it on what it was able to accomplish on a shoestring. "The Garden" looks great and features real actors and therefore has to stand toe-to-toe with the "real" movies I see in the theater. Sadly, it falls short on that level. The main problem is the script. It is a very interesting idea, but the internal "theology" ultimately doesn't make sense and therefore it isn't especially compelling. For instance, how is Sean Young able to "call" the sword protecting the tree? Is the Apocalpyse a good thing meant to help man that Satan is trying to stop? Why would another human eating from the tree through the moral universe upside down? Those are just a fraction of the questions I had that the film left unanswered. I should perhaps congratulate the film for making me think, but, I think I would have preferred to be entertained instead. A little sharper writing would have made all of the difference.This is the third of the recent Stephen J. Cannell horror films which I have seen. (The other two being "Room 6" and "It Waits.") All three featured good production values, acting and make-up effects. Sadly, I didn't find any of the three particularly compelling. Hopefully that will change as Cannell continues to make these films. I admire the fact that he is attempting to tell interesting stories and not just offering up more blades and babes films. I am relieved that someone is trying to tell horror tales that someone over twenty can watch. He just needs more compelling stories. I hope he finds them.