Deeper underground, a different type of caving unfolds in the British horror film Bone Keeper, where a tentacled predator from space wreaks havoc in dark, subterranean passages. This creature feature briskly picks off an unconvincing group of friends as they search for a beastie that hitched a ride to Earth on a meteorite, resulting in a serviceable but flawed entry into the genre.
A Creature from the Cosmos
The movie opens with punching-above-its-budget special effects that explain the origins of the flesh-eating creature, which crash-landed on our planet via a meteorite. Early on, viewers get the measure of this predator when it makes mincemeat out of a hairy tough-guy Neanderthal, setting a tone of visceral terror. Like Neil Marshall's classic film The Descent, the creature makes its home in caves, though Bone Keeper lacks the sweat-trickling-down-your-back claustrophobia that defined the earlier movie, despite managing to deliver a couple of good scares.
Characters and Plot Holes
Sarah Alexandra Marks stars as Olivia, a determined protagonist whose journalist grandfather vanished in the 1970s while investigating reports of a mysterious creature in a UK cave. Years later, Olivia's mother has also disappeared while searching for him, prompting Olivia to head to the caves with a group of mates. These friends feel as if they were dreamed up in a rushed 20-minute character development brainstorm, but it matters little as they are about to be briskly picked off one by one in a series of tense encounters.
The direction shows crudeness in places, particularly as the gang journeys to the caves, with a semi-famous YouTuber hitchhiker named Ashley, played by Sarah T Cohen, joining the ride. This adds a modern twist but does little to elevate the overall narrative coherence.
Critter and Cinematic Flaws
The creature discovered in the caves is a variation on horror critters seen in other films, yet it deserves points for delivering a couple of effective jump scares in spite of some shoddy CGI. The film often feels like a B-movie without the fun, containing scenes that could almost work as a spoof—such as a pub full of scowling locals warning the group out of town, or John Rhys-Davies hamming it up nicely as Prof Harrison, the village's self-proclaimed expert on the creature.
However, Bone Keeper is marred by plot craters bigger than the hole left by the meteorite, with inconsistencies and underdeveloped elements that detract from the suspense. Despite these issues, the film manages to hold attention with its creature carnage and atmospheric cave settings.
Bone Keeper is available on digital platforms from 6 April, offering horror fans a decent, if not groundbreaking, viewing experience with moments of genuine fright amidst its serviceable execution.
