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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
No quotes approved yet for The Roost. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'The Roost'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
