Direct-to-DVD horror movies are in their own breed. To be honest, it’s impossible to compare them to anything else, and they possibly should get their own rating scale. For example, a pretty decent direct-to-DVD horror flick might have been awful in the regular theater, and a wretched movie in general release might be decent on DVD.

“The Garden” is one of those films that rises above the general landscape of direct-to-DVD mediocrity. Yet, it still solidly belongs in this market.

If “The Garden” had been released in the major cinemas, I might not have liked it as much as I did on DVD. Regardless, this is one of the better ones I’ve seen in this format, and it’s not just because I’m a bit of a Lance Henricksen fan.

The film tells the story of a pre-teen boy named Sam (Adam Taylor Gordon). He is having trouble dealing with his parents’ divorce, and as a result he has violent and vivid dreams that cause him to harm himself. After his father (Brian Wimmer) gets him checked out a clinic, the broken family has a car accident. A local farmer named Ben Zachary (Lance Henricksen) takes the father and son under his wing and lets them stay with him while they wrap up some business back home.

The problem is that Ben Zachary isn’t who he says he is. Instead of being a benevolent farmer, he is really the Devil incarnate. On his property is the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden. In order to overturn God’s world, Zachary is trying to find a willing human to eat from the tree and rebuke God personally. Because of his condition, Sam figures this out and tries to save his father from helping the Prince of Darkness.

Yes, this sounds like a cheesy story, and it is. But it works incredibly well in the direct-to-DVD format. Heck, I think it would have worked fine in the theatrical format as well. Ultimately, it has more to it than a simple slasher film. Additionally, it’s got more to it than your standard Satan-on-Earth story you’ll see in the multiplex.

What makes this story work is that it is made on a relatively low budget. There wasn’t money for flashy special effects or wild conceptual shots. It had to rely on the story, the characters and the acting. And despite Sean Young’s presence in the film, the acting ain’t that bad either.

Henricksen makes a great Satan, and the kid who plays Sam hold his own against the pro. “The Garden” is unique among this type of film in that it offers more than a typical horror flick. There’s a fair share of gore and violence, but it hardly relies on this. Sure, there are some cheesy moments, but nothing more than you’d find in a major motion picture.

The DVD comes with a commentary from the director and a behind-the-scenes featurette. It’s not loaded with special features, but it’ll do.

“The Garden” was one of those films that I was surprised I enjoyed, and that’s a nice feeling to have whether your in a movie theater or on your couch watching a DVD.



Specifications: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound. Widescreen (1.77:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions.