What I heard in advance about writer/director J.T. Petty's horror-western The Burrowers made me expect that it was likely going to be my cup of tea. Upon watching it, I was happy to find that my expectations were actually surpassed. I think it's criminal that Lionsgate - the purveyors of the absymal Saw series - let a movie this exceptional go direct-to-DVD with no fanfare. I understand that The Burrowers won't be to everyone's taste and Lionsgate probably thought they'd just be setting themselves up to lose a bunch of money in trying to get audiences to turn out for a slow-paced downer of a Western, even one bolstered by the occasional monster attack. In an ideal world, though, horror fans would've had an opportunity to see this in their local theater. It's rare that I feel surprised by movies anymore but The Burrowers pulled the ground right out from under my feet.My full review is up now at Shock Till You Drop.
