The story revolves around six friends who drive out to the middle of nowhere and hire a boat for a lazy couple of days of drifting through the river, surrounded by the whispering reeds. When they arrive, they find that the boat they had reserved is unusable, but that they can take out the Corsair Star if they like. They do like, though they have to run off a group of strangely silent and vacant eyed kids who are on the boat already, one of whom ran across the road in front of Laura's (Anna Brewster) car on the drive in. The group of friends drift down the river, generally enjoying themselves, but it seems as if the kids who were on the boat are following them, keeping pace with the boat from the shore.

Chris (Will Mellor) decides that he's going to run the kids off for good, and jumps out of the boat and chases after them. He doesn't catch them, but does find a still smoldering dog that it seems they had burned to death. This is only the first of the strange incidents they encounter. They get lost, looking for a pub that is supposed to be somewhere in the reeds. They see another boat in the distance, but can't seem to catch up to it. Strange noises drift in from the marshy expanse. Nick (O. T. Fagbenle) thinks he sees someone standing on the shore staring at them, someone who bears a striking resemblance to himself. And finally, the boat runs into a large metal spike, which pierces the hull and impales Chris, pinning him to the floor.

Everyone in the group experiences visions of one sort or another, scenes of violence and blood flashing before their eyes. And then there's the hooded killer who stalks through the reeds killing people, of whom the vacant eyed kids seem deathly afraid. Stuck in the water, and with one of their group impaled, Joe (Daniel Caltagirone) decides to make his way toward a distant bonfire to try and find help. Things don't go well for the remaining friends, and lives begin to be lost forthwith. The remaining friends are separated, and matters begin to escalate, and to become clearer.

As stated above, The Reeds has a great location. The reeds constantly swaying in the wind, the isolation and eerie quiet, all contribute to a chilling atmosphere. And the performances are all pretty good. The characters are natural and believable. There is also a genuine feeling of tension present through a lot of the film, and a few minor jump scares. But that tension never rises above a feeling of diffused disquiet. All the scares seem just a few beats off. There's a lot of potential here, but it never rises above the level of average. Still, the production values are high (excepting the remarkably puny sounding shotgun blasts), the actors are professional and concept relatively interesting. The Reeds falls into the "good but not great" category. Rent this one.

The DVD

Video:
The video is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, and looks good. All the colors are intentionally muted, and the world looks eternally pale and overcast. The action is always clearly visible, and aside from persistent graininess (perhaps also intentional) the image is free of problems.

Sound:
The sound is in Dolby digital 5.1 channel, and is also pretty good. The dialogue is always clearly audible, and everything is free from hiss or other issues. The constant whispering of the reeds comes through clearly, but does not overwhelm. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish, but no alternate language track is included.

Extras:
The only extras included are the trailer for The Reeds, a trailer for Saw VI and some commercials for Fearnet.com and the After Dark Horrorfest in general.

Final Thoughts:
While it has an intriguing concept, good performances, and a naturally frightening setting, The Reeds can't seem to exploit these resources to create a truly great horror film. There is tension, mixed with some juicy kills and a few good scares, but these elements don't coalesce into something more. There is a lot to credit here, but it falls short of its potential. It is good enough when it could be spectacular, which is a little disappointing.