I love this movie so much

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

I should know better than to believe reviews when there are only 2 of them, thank god I didn't pay for this truly awful flick, I don't even think I can call it a movie! The other reviews said it starts out slow but then it gets so good, it did not. When the action or whatever it is starts it simply gets worse! Omg, I couldn't force myself to finish it. The good reviews are obviously from people connected to the flick. I get it, they want people to watch their movie but please if you have to trick people into watching then you must know it's really bad. Instead of faking a review try going back to the drawing board and make something that actually is good and guess what will happen, people will actually watch your work and if it's really good people may also write a good review for you. If you can't do better than the the drivel I just sat through then maybe you shouldn't make movies or get a good story, good writers, a good director and please get some at least halfway decent actors! Time is precious so please don't waste others time by tricking them, please!!! Hope my review will save others from making the same mistake.

As an avid fan of thrillers (horror too, if the horror is necessary to the story), I came across this title and, thanks to Amazon Prime, I was able to watch it. There's something to be said for the "backwater" / "out camping by the lake" horror genre, but "Backwater" is vastly different from the prototypes associated with that genre (e.g., Friday the 13th) - by a long shot.I thought this was a very good film. The story is seemingly innocent in that the boyfriend/girlfriend duo decide to camp out by the lake, and, upon hearing a shout (they reference it as a "scream"), they begin to investigate, with each of them running into someone else. What starts off rather slow picks up in terms of tension, horror, and convolution about 1/3 of the way through. I jumped a few times, was mildly grossed-out a few times, and didn't see any of the twists coming 'round the bend! The style of filming is mostly single-camera, though frequently scenes take place at night and in thick darkness, and sometimes it was difficult to see these scenes. Definitely worth checking out!

"Backwater" begins a tradition 'vacationers in the wrong part of the wilderness' concept that creates a comfortable familiarity. Schrack starts out with two people just enjoying some time alone in the woods, camping and sexing. At first this feels somewhat redundant and the story moves a bit slow. However this is all calculated because by 35 minutes into "Backwater" it becomes clear that the story is far more than it appears. Which is good because the pace picks up, the characters become interesting, and the horror really kicks in. Acting, directing, cinematography and story is all well comprised of eerie, chilling, and tense aspects that create a nice story arc, and vision. "Backwater" does give some classic grindhouse, indie style gore and horror which is all done mostly with practical effects. It never gets really into the visceral shock realm of the horrors, staying on the milder, but bloody side of the thriller genre. Still there is some good, and gory moments that hit hard, and entertain. The soundtrack, music is traditional 'backwater' horror sounds that work nice in this film, but don't really offer anything that hasn't been heard before. Still it is all packaged within "Backwater" nicely so no real complaints here. The twist and the darker antagonists as a sort 'implement of retribution' creates the real nightmare of this fusion of campfire horror and urban legend. Overall "Backwater" is a nice, middle of the road horror that is worth watching. The start is slow but it quickly picks up and turns the story in on itself a bit. It is clever, and once the true nightmare kicks in the pace quickens, and the adrenaline increases. And Christopher Schack keeps this story more horror than psychological thriller similar to films like the cult classic "Long Weekend". I enjoyed "Backwater" because I didn't expect that twist that came about in the story, and it never really loses energy. I did hate that the violence and horror elements weren't more graphic and visceral but the film is still a pretty tight thriller.