Description

Gritty, ferociously violent and hitting intensity levels that could shatter glass, Borderland is the real deal in a time of trendy horror lollipops. The film is based on a case from the late 1980s in which a group of U.S. teenagers visiting Mexico were kidnapped and slaughtered as sacrifices by a Satanic drug-dealing cult. A Hostel-esque cash-in? Not at all. Borderland was shot over two years ago, before the wave of “Americans visit an unfamiliar country and find their cultural curiosity rewarded with torture and death” films became popular. It is much more a gripping, ultraviolent thriller, closer in tone to Wes Craven’s original Hills Have Eyes. The plot: A trio of high school grads visit Mexico during spring break and accidentally ruffle the feathers of a sadistic Santeria cult member. This directs the gang’s attention towards the teens, leading to the abduction of one. When the others report their friend missing and see that the police have no interest in getting involved, they begin to understand how bad the situation really is. The Santeria cult is holding much of Mexico in fear. They learn that the town has a high disappearance rate, and that kidnappings are less unusual than missing people returning. They also learn that townspeople are regularly found slaughtered. They can’t leave without their friend. They can’t fight against the cult. They stay in Mexico, and an already bad situation turns into something more horrific than words can describe.

In spite of its subject matter, Borderland succeeds in blowing its audience’s heads off without becoming a xenophobic pandering machine. This is no doubt partially attributable to the fact that writer/director Zev Berman (Briar Patch) was actually in Mexico when the original killings took place, and reportedly even questioned several of the investigating officers at that time. Unlike similarly-themed films designed in part to play on Americans’ fears of unfamiliar cultures, Borderland doesn’t portray its Mexican townspeople as shadowy, Americano-killing conspirators. Quite the opposite. In this film, everyone is a victim, in one way or another. Cabin Fever fans will be happy to see actor Rider Strong returning to the genre (and reuniting with producer Lauren Moews). Also features Sean Astin (Lord Of The Rings) in a creepy against-type performance that likely had his agent ready to sacrifice house pets. The way Berman stages KNB’s gruesome, anatomically-correct FX achieves a degree of realism that will probably have people fainting in the aisles when it hits cinemas later this year. Borderland is a bleak and brutal film that packs one hell of a punch.

—Mitch Davis

"A grim, gruesome and impressively well-mounted piece of genre filmmaking" - Scott Weinberg, CINEMATICAL

"Mixes the dramatic aspects of a true crime story with elements indicative of modern horror cinema to great triumph" - Tex M., BLOODY DISGUSTING

Website

http://www.borderlandonline.com/

Credits

Director: Zev Berman
Screenplay: Zev Berman, Eric Poppen
Cast: Brian Presley Martha Higareda Jake Muxworthy Damián Alcáza Sean Astin
Producers: Lauren Moews, George Furla, Randal Emmett
Distributor: Lions Gate