The Roost (2004)

53% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
38% of users liked it
(766 ratings)

Creatures of the night find new prey on the scariest night of the year in this horror story. It's Halloween night, and four friends -- Allison (Vanessa Horneff), Elliott (Wil Horneff), Trevor (Karl Jacob), and Brian (Sean Reid) -- are on a road trip en route to a friend's wedding when their car… More Creatures of the night find new prey on the scariest night of the year in this horror story. It's Halloween night, and four friends -- Allison (Vanessa Horneff), Elliott (Wil Horneff), Trevor (Karl Jacob), and Brian (Sean Reid) -- are on a road trip en route to a friend's wedding when their car breaks down after running into something. Looking for help, the four happen upon the farmhouse of an elderly couple, Elvin (Richard Little) and May (Barbara Wilhide), which is located next to a huge barn. Elvin and May have already become lost in the darkness of the barn, and soon two of the lost travelers are suffering the same fate as they search for friendly strangers. However, while they can barely see a hand in front of their face, they discover they're not alone in the barn, which has become home to a huge swarm of bloodthirsty bats. The Roost is framed by an introduction and postscript from a television horror show host, played by Tom Noonan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 20 min.
Directed By: Ti West
Written By: Ti West
Genres: Drama, Horror

In Theaters: Oct 21, 2005 Limited
On DVD: Oct 3, 2006
Studio: Digital Cinema Solutions

Critic Reviews

Joshua Land, Village Voice
The director makes the most of the tense slow stretches, with the camera occasionally drifting off in search of action while characters wait in dreadful silence.
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle
The Roost's pacing is so leaden that you long for a pregnant pause, instead of interminable nothingness.
Janice Page, Boston Globe
West gets an enthusiastic round of applause for trusting his eye for stripped-down horror. Now he needs to complete the picture with writing that shows the same conviction.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
The Roost is a minimalist horror movie with more ambition than resources.
Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times
The Roost, writer-director Ti West's homage to low-budget '70s horror movies, places a premium on tension while taking a fresh bite out of the old vampire-bat tale.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
If this mediocre bore fest is the best West can offer, then I'm sure the rest of his career will be filled with mediocre quasi-horror...
Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat
...there's not much you haven't seen before; but the result is a first-rate run-through of horror tropes,
John Venable, Supercala.com
The cinematic equivalent of really slow, beyond deliberate, wish-it-was-over-with-already kick to the groin. Would've been stellar as a short though...seriously!
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
No-budget no-brainer...but West shows signs of real talent, even if he doesn't have the resources needed to put it to best use.
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
One thing you can say about this movie is that director Ti West knew his limitations and made the most out of the money he had to work with.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Ti West's affectionate homage to no-frills fright flicks keeps it simple and succeeds on its own stripped-down terms.
Jeremiah Kipp, Filmcritic.com
Anyone who says they don't make 'em like they used to just isn't looking hard enough.

Read all 12 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Conner R

Quite possibly the ultimate amateur horror movie. While this has no stars, no budget and no elaborate story, the atmosphere created by Ti West is just amazing. This does what The Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity could never do, truly creep out the audience with just a little bit of… More
Quite possibly the ultimate amateur horror movie. While this has no stars, no budget and no elaborate story, the atmosphere created by Ti West is just amazing. This does what The Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity could never do, truly creep out the audience with just a little bit of music and skewed camera angles. The video deterioration and minimalist shots are really something to be admired. This really succeeded at being a nostalgia horror movie, but at the same time something truly unique.
A.D. V

Great concept. Bad movie.
Jacob P

A very orignal horror film with tons of scary scenes\moments. The blood\make up was done great, and the acting wasn't too bad either. A very good movie.
Christopher B

Great low budget horror. West tells the story at a deliberate pace, while still maintaining the fun, thrills and a certain air of mystery. With this and Trigger Man it seems West is going in the completely opposite direction of modern horror films, and that is not to make everything… More
Great low budget horror. West tells the story at a deliberate pace, while still maintaining the fun, thrills and a certain air of mystery. With this and Trigger Man it seems West is going in the completely opposite direction of modern horror films, and that is not to make everything so fast paced and hyper kinetic that the audience never has a chance to connect with the characters and situation. In both those films I found the atmosphere to be quite absorbing, with his long takes where not much happens. Granted, I'm sure that has a lot to do with the low budget, but as I've always believed, low budgets bring out the best in most filmmakers and to the most creative directors it becomes a strength. Now I'm really looking forward to West's House of the Devil, which I hope gets a theatrical release.

Cast

Richard Little
as Elvin
Barbara Wilhide
as May
Tom Noonan
as The Horror Host

Wil Horneff
as Elliott
Larry Fessenden
as Tow Truck Driver
John Speredakos
as Officer Mitchell

See full cast

The Roost (2004)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Conner R

A.D. V

Jacob P

Christopher B

Cast