Timber Falls

A camping trip in the West Virginia backwoods turns nasty in director Tony Giglio's above-average survival horror. There are shades of Deliverance as the (significantly) unwed Mike (Josh Randall) and Sheryl (Brianna Brown) run into some very unfriendly locals. Worse is to follow, when Sheryl's disappearance leads Mike to the home of religious fanatics with unforgiving views on pre-marital sex. The plot may lack any real surprises, but there are plenty of genuinely scary moments in the duo's terrified plight, emphasised by Giglio's taut direction. It helps that the victims here are both convincing and empathetic - exceeding the expectations of the tale's B-movie origins. But, in a nod to the seminal Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the introduction of the deranged family's slobbering mutant son (Sascha Rosemann) feels like an unnecessary addition to the gory mayhem.