DVD Release
Stephen J. Cannell must have caught the horror bug because he’s been releasing horror films like they’re going out of style. While I was completely unimpressed with Demon Hunter, I definitely found myself enjoying It Waits. It had certain charms, Cerina Vincent’s to be exact, that made it watchable. When I got wind of The Garden, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I mean, it’s got Lance Henriksen so it can’t be all that bad, right?
Thankfully, it wasn’t all that bad.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t all that good either.
Sam (Adam Taylor Gordon) is a troubled kid prone to visions, nightmares and cutting himself. When David (Brian Wimmer), his father, arrives to pick him up from the Mental Healthy Institute, Sam’s doctor (Claudio Christian) informs David that Sam’s “issues” may stem from the divorce and David’s drinking. She recommends that Father and son get away for awhile with each other and reconnect.
David and Sam are soon on the road after stopping off to pick some new horses for their farm. While on their way back they get into a nasty accident that leaves their truck totaled. Thankfully, old Ben Zachary (Lance Henriksen) was there to help out.
When Sam finally regains consciousness he finds out that they’ll be remaining with Mr. Zachary for awhile. Seems their farm is under quarantine and they’ve got nowhere to go for the time being so Ben offers David a job at his ranch in exchange for room and board.
It’s obvious from the start that Sam isn’t all that comfortable around Ben and his attitude worsens as his Father is slowly lead back into drinking, smoking and womanizing by the cantankerous Ben Zachary. As if things couldn’t get worse, the visions are returning and Sam starts believing they may have something to do with Mr. Zachary and his strange ranch.
Things don’t seem to be going Sam’s way at school either as he’s mercilessly picked on by the local school bully Jesse (Erik Walker) and his cohorts. Apparently, they aren’t too fond of Sam’s performance in their after school Bible lessons taught by school teacher Ms. Chapman (Sean Young).
This crazy kid just can’t win! As David continues on a path of destruction, Sam’s visions become a reality and they appear to be warning him. Could these be demons or are they something different? What are they trying to tell Sam?
Ben Zachary is hiding something from David and Sam and when the time is right he’ll strike with precision. His goal is to change God’s will and nothing will keep him from achieving his ultimate act of defiance.
Clocking in at just 92 minutes, this film doesn’t take a whole lot of time to build. It’s fairly obvious to see right off the bat that Henriksen’s character is a nogoodnik but credit where credit is due…he does nogoodnik so goddamn well. Henriksen plays this dread inducing, menacing old bastard like no other. Between Sam’s visions and constantly wondering when Henriksen would pop up, there was more than enough tension to go around.
I’d also like to say that Adam Taylor Gordon is an amazing actor for his age. He really turned in a wonderful performance as the troubled Sam. Both he and Henriksen’s characters played off one another so damn well. You could just feel this vibe between the two as they constantly challenge each other, testing limits.
Sean Young is…well…Sean Young. She acts and that’s about it. I’ve never been one of her biggest fans.
While the film does offer up an interesting twist on the whole Garden of Eden concept, it ultimately feels a bit uneventful. You know something bad is going to go down and you know Henriksen is behind it and you know…in the end…little Samuel is going to be victorious. Is that a spoiler? C’mon, if that’s spoiling things for you than you need to watch more movies! This was one of those films that make no bones about who is bad, who is good and who will be caught up in the struggle. It starts out really promising and ends up wishy washy.
The widescreen presentation was great but the Dolby Surround 2.0 left my system feeling like a red-headed stepchild. It’s a shame too because this film had some awesome sounds just begging to blast out of my back speakers and make me jump. There were layers upon layers of creepy noises in this that would have really benefited from a 5.1 soundtrack. Que Sera Sera.
Extras include a 5 minute behind the scenes featurette, audio commentary with director Don Michael Paul, a trailer, still gallery and Henriksen bio. Nothing to write home to the ‘rents about but better than nothing I suppose.
The Garden wasn’t a horrible film. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this edited for the PAX Channel though. I would recommend at least one rental based solely on Lance Henriksen’s presence and Sean Young crying tears of blood.
