Death Valley Review

3 star tense and bloody creature feature.

Death Valley is a Canadian horror film written and directed by Matthew Ninaber (Transference, Extraction Day), who also stars as the very scary monster. It is a Shudder original, available to stream on Shudder from 9th December 2021.

“The facility is under attack and has been put into lockdown. I am still inside, everyone else is dead. If you want Adam and all of his research, get me out of here!”

James Beckett (Jeremy Ninaber – Forest Fairies) is a disillusioned mercenary who has promised his pregnant girlfriend Jess (Melissa Joy Boerger – Transference) that he will give it all up and come home to them. However, fellow mercenary and best friend Marshall (Ethan Mitchell –  Alice, Darling) and their boss Rachel (Jacqueline Ninaber) have received news of one final job, one which will pay well enough for them all to retire if they want to.

They have intercepted a distress call sent out by Dr. Chloe (Kristen Kaster – If I Should Die), a biomedical scientist who is trapped un an underground bunker following an incident involving a terrifying creature of unknown origin.

Upon arrival, they discover that they are not the only ones interested in this facility, it is under siege by a heavily armed militia attempting to gain entry. Not really able to take on this small army, they seek out an alternative means of entry. Getting in is only half the battle however, once inside they must fight to survive the monsters overrunning the bunker and get themselves and Dr. Chloe out in one piece.

“Anyone else think it’s weird, going into a vent, when we just saw one go into a vent? No?”

Death Valley is an entertaining watch, with excellent special effects including a brilliant monster costume. The use of practical effects in this case makes it far scarier than CGI would have been. It is a strange mix of action and horror and does take a little while to get going, but there is no denying the high production values at play here.

The action sequences are well filmed and the settings are well chosen to ramp up the feeling of claustrophobia and of being hunted. While it borrows heavily from other films in this genre, the monster is unique enough to stand out, as well as the tacked on biblical aspects of the story which add an extra element.

All in all, plenty of gore, plenty of action and a very interesting and unexpected twist. Well worth a watch.

“The expedition to recover subject N’s body from the glacier was a success, but the human trials have proved devastating.”

Death Valley is available to stream on Shudder from 9th December 2021.