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Black Water (2007)

Director: Andrew Traucki, David Nerlich

3

Time Out rating

Average user rating
20 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Based on a true story, this scary horror movie makes effective use of one striking location and one strong idea. In a remote Australian swamp, three terrified holidaymakers confront a primeval predator. Trapped up a flimsy tree, the three bicker, shiver and weigh their options, while a crocodile that has capsized their boat and eaten their guide prowls below.

There are obvious, but not unflattering, similarities with another low-budget ‘survival horror’ movie, ‘Open Water’, which fashioned a meaty and involving storyline using only two drifting sub-aqua divers, the open sea and a circling shark. Rather than create an expensive CGI croc, writer-directors Andrew Traucki and David Nerlich used cheap digital technology to stitch together footage of real crocodiles with the dramatic scenes. Tapping into the primeval fear generated by these perfectly evolved killing machines, the filmmakers ratchet up the tension, while sustaining our interest in the fate of the trio.

Author: Derek Adams 2008-02-19 11:38:52

Time Out London Issue 1957: Feb 20 to 26


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User reviews of this film

  • Nina said...
    Posted on Feb 20 2008 10:15 Black Water is a good old fashioned survival thriller, with serious tension and real jump out your seat moments.. That crocodile is HUGE!!! Best crocodile movie yet, real made with a fraction of the budget than most, and with real crocs! impressive!
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  • steve said...
    Posted on Feb 19 2008 21:37 Better than Open Water. Great survival tale that had me wondering how i would have survived. Tense and gripping definately worth a look
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  • T said...
    Posted on Feb 19 2008 18:43 I also saw it at Oz fest and it rocked my socks. Less is most definitely more. Quite simply, a grrrrreat genre movie.
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  • Annie said...
    Posted on Feb 19 2008 15:13 Saw it at Oz Fest - very believable, great story, and scenes which made me jump out of my skin!
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  • bill said...
    Posted on Feb 18 2008 07:13 Horror of the year! Review please!!
    Report as inappropriate
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Cast & crew

Director: Andrew Traucki, David Nerlich

Cast: Ben Oxenbould full cast

Genre(s): Horror

Rated: 15

Duration: 89 mins

UK Release: Feb 22 2008




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