‘You may not have fur or feathers… but you are still part of the food chain!’
The Barge People is a 2018 British horror film directed by Charlie Steeds (Winterskin; The House of Violent Desire; Escape from Cannibal Farm) from a screenplay written by Christopher Lombard.
The Dark Temple Motion Pictures production stars Kate Davies-Speak (The House of Violent Desire; Knights of the Damned; Escape from Cannibal Farm), Mark McKirdy, Makenna Guyler (Crawl to Me; A Dark Path; Blood Bags; Coulrophobia) and Natalie Martins (Kill or be Killed; Poltergeist Activity).
Plot:
Set on the canals in the British countryside, two sisters and their boyfriends head off for a relaxing weekend away on a barge, unaware of the flesh-eating fish mutants lurking in the water, ready and waiting to feed…
Release:
In the USA, Image Entertainment is releasing The Barge People on DVD on August 18th 2020. Buy Amazon.com
Reviews:
“Barge People is very much an indie thriller, with director Steeds offering lots of shots of the amazing UK scenery. The filmmakers bring their best to the table, with a small budget and a focus on horror films of the past […] Sometimes gruesome and consistently sounding great, Barge People is mostly a fun trip and worth taking.” 28 Days Later Analysis
“Between the underused setting, the monsters’ overcooked backstories, and Jade’s over-the-top character, it seems that The Barge People’s greatest weaknesses may be not knowing when to stop and not making the most of its best ideas. There is fun to be had here, but Steeds’ third feature is less than the sum of its parts.” Daily Dead
“Part stalk-and-slash, part creature feature, The Barge People is never dull and I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. It looks fantastic, the script and direction are strong, the cast is great and the scares come thick-and-fast. What more could you want from a horror movie?” Entertainment Focus
” ..you already know where The Barge People is going in the first few minutes. It’s a shame as the film does have a compelling tone, nothing is super serious and nothing is super silly either. The design work on the Barge People themselves is creative and well done, but it’s just a little too hard to get past all the cliches.” The Hollywood News
” …the writing is ultimately too on-the-nose, the last act plot twists predictable and overdone. None of this detracts from what Steeds, Lombard, Lloyd and composer Sam Benjafield have achieved with The Barge People. This is a throwback to ’70s and ’80s hillbilly horror with a modern British twist, packed with ridiculous gore and the best mutant cannibals since The Descent.” Horror DNA
“A good portion of the kills takes place off-screen but the film doesn’t shy away from the blood. We still get to witness the great practical effects which really fits the film’s theme. Also, the make-up and prosthetics look great on the barge people. I was really impressed by them.” Horror Society
“The Barge People turned out to be a pure delight as a blind date and I would, without hesitation recommend this to creature and gore buffs. It doesn’t stand above the giants of the genre, but then I don’t think that was ever Charlie Steeds intention. Instead, I believe it serves as a humble salute to those giants. Don’t miss it.” Killer Horror Critic
” …it has a distinctively British nastiness – even if it takes the form of a typically British misery weekend holiday trip rather than the faster-paced endurance tests of similar American horrors. Its 1980s-style score (Sam Benjafield, main theme by S.T.R.S.G.N. and Europaweite Aussichten) and ichthyoid monster masks are above average for this budget level.” The Kim Newman Web Site
“There are various pursuits, recaptures, a fall into a pit, a twist thrown on things just when people think they have gotten to safety. It is not quite as absorbing and intense as the early sections are and falls into much of a muchness. Nevertheless, it shows promising things for Charlie Steeds.” Moria
“The Barge People is certainly going to be a genre crowd-pleaser as it ticks all the boxes: cool monsters, plenty of blood and gore, and a familiar story of man versus monster(s). It might not be as successful, for me, as Escape From Cannibal Farm but it still means that – in terms of the films I’ve seen – director Charlie Steeds is three for three for me…” Nerdly
“Ultimately, for fans of old-school slashers and awesome creature effects, The Barge People is an absolute blast. It delivers exactly what it promises in a delightful fashion.” The Overlook Theatre
“The dialogue is not cringe-inducing, but yet there are not any memorable lines either. You could see, with a bit more of a mean streak, or some punchier characters that this skeleton of a plot could have been more interesting. As it is, it’s not even bad enough to be memorably bad.” The Scariest Things
” …the practical special effects are so impressive that any casual viewer would easily presume that The Barge People was a large studio production. The Barge People is a highly entertaining and satisfyingly gory horror film that features top-notch performances by some of the most talented rising British talent including Kate Davies-Speak and puts a lot of big studio films to shame.” Starburst
“Granted, The Barge People may overdo the retro by recycling out a few plot twists that have long since stopped being unexpected. But overall this is not only the director’s best film but one of the best monster movies of the past several years.” Voices from the Balcony
Scroll down for YouTube reviews
Main cast:
Kate Davies-Speak … Kat
Mark McKirdy … Mark
Makenna Guyler … Jade
Natalie Martins … Sophie
Matt Swales … Ben
Kane Surry … Ricky
Emma Spurgin Hussey … Rosemary
Tim Cartwright … Albert
Carl Andersson … Blade
David Lenik … Simon
Barrington De La Roche … Elderly Man
Sam Lane … Razor
Harrison Nash … Max
Filming locations:
The canal sequences were shot on location in Bradford Upon Avon, in Wiltshire, England
Alternate titles:
Mutant River: Blutiger Alptraum – Germany
Trailer:
Clip:
YouTube reviews:
