So much average

Good movie but grossly overrated

Excellent but underrated film

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

'Arbor Demon' (aka 'Enclosure') drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing and quite creative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive. It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws are here present in those films, that to me was very weak, its worst elements being pretty awful, with a lot more wrong than right. 'Arbor Demon' is not great, or good, has a fair share of problems (fairly big ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are however a few decent, even good, qualities in 'Arbor Demon'.Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric, likewise with the decent way it's shot. The music is suitably spooky and quirky and doesn't distract at all from the atmosphere, while not exactly enhancing it. Found too that 'Arbor Demon' started off fairly promisingly with a few effectively spooky moments.However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary it got. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their irritating and illogical decision making and behaviours insult the intelligence. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The acting is also terrible, Jake Busey in particular was just bizarre. The effects are ropy at best.Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the second half and never is it exciting. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense. A lot of the film completely fails to make sense, both in underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations. The villains are poorly used and pose very little threat. The last third badly sags in momentum and the atmosphere completely falls flat, though the end does convey the message better than expected.In conclusion, very weak but not unwatchable. 3/10 Bethany Cox

If you go down to the woods today you will find - an angry bear? a Sasquatch? something even worse? A night-time massacre to start with.This ultra-low budget slightly off-beat horror film lacks nothing in the originality department, but best give it a miss if you prefer happy endings. Mr and Mrs Not-So-Newly-Weds decide to go on a camping trip before he goes on the road for six months with his gee-tar. When they get there, strange things happen. That night a group of rednecks start making a big noise with their guns, then an even bigger noise with their screams. Something has attacked them, something that is incredibly strong and is as happy in the trees as on the ground.Our hero and his missus save one of the guys, who has a severely injured leg. This turns out to be a case of no good deed goes unpunished, but at least he tells them what is going on. Out there are creatures or at least entities from before the White Man came who are intent on doing something to pregnant women in connection with an ancient ritual. Guess who is pregnant and hasn't told her husband?You need know no more at this point, but expect the unexpected.

I don't know what it is about the cover poster but because of it I was actually quite looking forward to this. Enclosure otherwise known as The Arbor Demon is yet another forest set horror movie which actually has an interesting plot, but is ruined by poor pacing and weak delivery.Starring the real spawn of Chucky (Fiona Dourif) and erm the spawn of the Gingerdead Man? (Jake Busey) it tells the story of a couple who go camping in the woods but witness the local rednecks come under attack from a mysterious creature and they may be next!It's all pretty cliched stuff that though it all comes together at the end, by that point it's all so very late.Nice ideas but ultimately the Arbor Demon is more than slightly on the boring side.The Good: Great coverDecent finaleThe Bad:Very dullPacing issuesPoorly madeThings I Learnt From This Movie:Ms Dourif does not have an ounce of the talent of her father

I'm on a horror podcast, so I've seen it all. I was so pleased that this wasn't the run-of-the-mill that I was expecting—it's a tension- filled, well-paced, scary little ride. Yes, it's a creature movie, but the characters are well-developed (and the acting, for a change, is really GOOD), so we care about them; there are also a few stories going on at the same time, and all of them work well together so that the film's final moments are tied up perfectly (but NOT predictably). What's really impressive is the film's ability to scare due to less is more: we don't see a whole lot until we need to at the end (fans who were terrified by the old stuff like LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK will definitely appreciate this approach). The set-up is tight so that we are plunged into the situation in short order—yet story and development do not get short shrift. If you love creature movies but you're looking for something a little bit different, definitely check this out.