The Burrowers (2008)

67% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
33% of users liked it
(10,401 ratings)

When a family of Dakota Territory pioneers is violently abducted and a posse is assembled to venture into the badlands and rescue them, the frightening truth they discover in the hills leads them to believe man may not be the only hunter stalking the Old West. The year is 1879, and beyond the… More When a family of Dakota Territory pioneers is violently abducted and a posse is assembled to venture into the badlands and rescue them, the frightening truth they discover in the hills leads them to believe man may not be the only hunter stalking the Old West. The year is 1879, and beyond the fringes of civilization a handful of courageous pioneers maintain settlements while exploring the unknown territories. One night, under the shimmering Western stars, a family from one of these settlements is brutally dragged into darkness by a group of unknown invaders. At first the kidnappers are thought to be hostile Native Americans, and a posse forms to bring the family back home safely. Venturing out into the unmapped territories is an Irish immigrant desperate to find his lost love, a naïve teen eager to prove his worth, a former slave seeking his fortune after gaining his freedom, and a hardened pair of battle-weary Indian fighters. But nature's wrath and the tomahawks of hostile tribes aren't the only threats that this group will be forced to contend with, because as the bodies begin to multiply and the truth about the abductors gradually emerges, these rescuers will find out that there are forces in this world that can't be described in human terms -- and that seem to have motivations beyond our comprehension. Clancy Brown, William Mapother, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Doug Hutchison star in Soft for Digging director J.T. Petty's subterranean Western shocker. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: J.T. Petty
Written By: J.T. Petty
Genres: Western, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Sep 1, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Apr 21, 2009
Studio: Lions Gate Films

Critic Reviews

John Anderson, Variety
The pacing is too pokey by half, and the payoff is a wrenching disappointment.
Lucius Gore, ESplatter
... proves once again that the old west still isn't the ideal place to set a monster movie.
Keith Breese, Filmcritic.com
rewarding both as a horror film and a period piece.
Brian Orndorf, DVDTalk.com
Petty is pursuing a more measured, sympathetic take on demons that feast on the gelatinous innards of innocent victims, manufacturing a tediously wandering picture that craves substance while itching to entertain its absurd grindhouse sensibilities.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a sporadically entertaining yet thoroughly ineffective misfire.
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
At his most placid, JT Petty can make Terrence Malick look like Guy Ritchie. But when he's not going full-'bore', his quiet, creepy brand of terror works on several levels.
Scott Weinberg, FEARnet
Sets you up for 'predictability' in both the western and horror departments, and then subverts those expectations time and again.
Karina Longworth, SpoutBlog
Beautifully shot and tightly scripted, it's the rare Hollywood genre film that's more concerned with human relationships and behavior than the mysterious supernatural forces that sets the action in motion.
Johnny Butane, Dread Central
J.T Petty takes viewers on an unusual and frightening venture into the Old West with The Burrowers.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Ken S

A pretty solid horror western film. Plus Clancy Brown!!!!!
Cynthia S

Decent creature feature, with several familiar faces in the cast. The creatures are interesting looking, but not really terrifying. The film is competent, but not extraordinary. Don't expect any twists that you wont see a mile away, and you can come away with a decent experience.… More
Decent creature feature, with several familiar faces in the cast. The creatures are interesting looking, but not really terrifying. The film is competent, but not extraordinary. Don't expect any twists that you wont see a mile away, and you can come away with a decent experience. I will say that the numerous scenes around the nighttime campfires do a good job of keeping you on edge in anticipation, and there are some solid performances all around... but there's nothing here that you haven't seen before.
_kelly .

If you want a western creature feature with great cinematography, this is your flick. Decent but not memorable.
Dean M

This is my second horror-western straight-to-DVD since <i>Tremors IV</i> as well as this is surprisingly good. This movie is really more of Western that happens to have some horror elements thrown in. Go into it expecting to watch a "cowboys and Indians" film… More
This is my second horror-western straight-to-DVD since <i>Tremors IV</i> as well as this is surprisingly good. This movie is really more of Western that happens to have some horror elements thrown in. Go into it expecting to watch a "cowboys and Indians" film and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Most of the violence in this film is man against man rather than man against monster. The "burrowers" themselves are a bit disappointing once revealed, mostly because of the poor CGI. The final battle is not as satisfying as I thought it would be.
Dead A

Ending was really disturbing to me. It could be something else. I mean the producer must be really bored when making it. That's why the ending was so lame. But anyway, it was not worth watching.
Bruce B

A western horror flick, go figure. Its 1879 and once again cowboys are blaming the Indians for everything. When a rash of killings take place, farmers shooting there own wife and children and then themselves the local law and other ranchers are blaming the Indians, when children go… More
A western horror flick, go figure. Its 1879 and once again cowboys are blaming the Indians for everything. When a rash of killings take place, farmers shooting there own wife and children and then themselves the local law and other ranchers are blaming the Indians, when children go missing a posse is put together to track down the Indians, but what we find is the cause is not Indians but some slimy looking creatures, Lions Gate has proven if its horror they'll put there name on it. When we finally see the creatures, the special effects are pretty good, would want these guys chasing me. Its dry at times and boring. Still worth a rental. Only 3 Stars for this one.
Wahida K

A band of courageous men sets out to find and recover a family of settlers that has mysteriously vanished from their home. Expecting the offenders to be a band of fierce natives, the group prepares for a routine battle. But they soon discover that the real enemy stalks them from… More
A band of courageous men sets out to find and recover a family of settlers that has mysteriously vanished from their home. Expecting the offenders to be a band of fierce natives, the group prepares for a routine battle. But they soon discover that the real enemy stalks them from below.
A.D. V

Original idea of mixing the Western with the monster movie genre but the film drags on and ends with a most unsatisfying and abrupt conclusion. Still its got some terrific looking creatures with some interesting feeding habits.
Jacob P

The very low buget version of "Cowboys & Aliens." It pretty much had the same exact story, except the so called "burrowers" in this film lived underground. A pretty interesting film.
William G

Well-shot and fairly bleak horror-Western worthy of the big screen.
Juny L

So much potential to be a great horror film.The western setting was interesting,great cinematography,good acting & the monsters did look great.The problem with this film is the pace,to the point of getting boring.It takes too long to get a close look at these monsters &… More
So much potential to be a great horror film.The western setting was interesting,great cinematography,good acting & the monsters did look great.The problem with this film is the pace,to the point of getting boring.It takes too long to get a close look at these monsters & getting them into action.
ken j

Set in the wild west 1879 you would think by all accounts this would be just another western movie but this one has a twist. When a local family is kidnapped a posse is formed to go out and try and reclaim them fearing that they have been taken by indians a group of men take off in… More
Set in the wild west 1879 you would think by all accounts this would be just another western movie but this one has a twist. When a local family is kidnapped a posse is formed to go out and try and reclaim them fearing that they have been taken by indians a group of men take off in search of this family but as days pass with no real site of them this is when the twist happens cause as one by one the men start to vanish the remaining few come to see that what they are fighting is far worse then a band of indians. I found this movie to be so so inbetween a 2 an half star and 3 it does drag in parts and sorta reminded me of tremors minus the humor. watch at your own risk
Nikki M

Interesting Western Horror film, even if parts were slow.