''It Waits'' is a 2005 American
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apo ...
directed by
Steven R. Monroe and starring
Cerina Vincent
Cerina Vincent (born February 7, 1979) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough role starring as Maya in the television series '' Power Rangers Lost Galaxy,'' followed by a part in the comedy film '' Not Another Teen Movie'', before goi ...
,
Dominic Zamprogna
Dominic Zamprogna (, ; born April 21, 1979) is a Canadian actor and voice artist. He is perhaps best known for his roles on the television series '' Edgemont'', '' Battlestar Galactica'' and '' General Hospital''.
Early life
Zamprogna was born i ...
, and
Greg Kean. Written by
Richard Christian Matheson, Thomas E. Szollosi, and
Stephen J. Cannell, the film is about a forest ranger who encounters a terrible creature who has been killing people in the remote national forest where she works. When the creature attacks her isolated ranger station and kills her forest ranger boyfriend, she goes after the creature. Filmed on location in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
, Canada, ''It Waits'' was a
direct-to-DVD
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was ...
release in the United States and worldwide.
Plot
In a remote national forest, five archaeology students discover a cave associated with an ancient Native American legend. Using explosives to gain entrance, they find
prehistoric drawings and bones strewn across the cave floor. Suddenly from the shadows, a creature emerges and slaughters the students.
Two months later, forest ranger Danielle "Danny" St. Claire (
Cerina Vincent
Cerina Vincent (born February 7, 1979) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough role starring as Maya in the television series '' Power Rangers Lost Galaxy,'' followed by a part in the comedy film '' Not Another Teen Movie'', before goi ...
) is sitting on the floor of an isolated ranger station tower in the same national forest—drunk and crying. Remembering the tragic car crash that killed her best friend Julie Cassidy, Danny blames herself for the tragedy because she was driving after a night of heavy drinking. Her boss Rick Bailey (
Greg Kean) calls to tell her she will be alone at the station for the next few days while her colleagues battle a forest fire. He also informs her that cracks have developed in nearby Devil's Gate Dam and instructs her to drain off water to relieve the pressure. That night, awakened by nightmares of the accident, Danny hears sounds coming from outside. With rifle in hand, she descends the tower to investigate and discovers claw marks on the tool shed door.
The next morning, Danny's forest ranger boyfriend Justin Rawley (
Dominic Zamprogna
Dominic Zamprogna (, ; born April 21, 1979) is a Canadian actor and voice artist. He is perhaps best known for his roles on the television series '' Edgemont'', '' Battlestar Galactica'' and '' General Hospital''.
Early life
Zamprogna was born i ...
) arrives to keep her company. After inspecting the dam, they return to the station for a romantic dinner during which Danny confesses she was the one driving the car when it crashed, and that she allowed the police to think Julie was driving. Justin consoles her and they make love. During the night, they're awakened by the sound of the emergency siren on the roof. They investigate and discover that something destroyed the satellite dish, rolled Justin's jeep over into a ditch, and disabled the radio. The next day, they go to the nearby dam to use its radio. They meet up with Carl and Evelyn Nash—two campers that recently went missing. Despite Justin's warnings, the Nashes head out on their own. Soon they are hunted down by the creature and killed. Meanwhile, at the dam, Justin and Danny find the radio room completely trashed. Later when they enter the station, Evelyn's bloody corpse swings down from the ceiling on a chain. When they rush outside, Carl's body is thrown off the roof onto them.
Justin heads off alone to get help. That night in the woods, the creature viciously attacks and kills him. The next morning, Danny notices the tool shed was broken into. Inside she finds Justin's severed head on a shelf and his bloody body on the roof. Danny buries Justin's remains and decides to fight back. That night the creature attacks the station, but Danny is able to shoot and wound it. The next morning, Danny discovers a trail of green gooey blood and follows it to the cave. There, she meets the teacher of the students who were killed in the cave. He reveals what he knows about the creature, including some of its weaknesses. He also explains that the
demon is drawn to Danny's negative energy—her guilt over her friend's death—and provides her with documents about the ancient legend. Back at the station, Danny finds the dug-up corpses of the Nashes and Justin arranged around the table, with Justin's severed head on a plate. When it starts to rain, Danny remembers the teacher saying the creature doesn't like water. She goes off to hunt for the creature. When the rain stops, however, the creature attacks her, rips flesh from her leg, and then flies away. Back at the station, Danny finds the Nashes' cellphone and calls her boss Rick and tells him to bring the SWAT team, but he dismisses her request believing she's drunk.
The next day, Rick arrives at the station alone and accompanies Danny to the cave, which she plans to destroy with several sticks of dynamite. Soon they discover the teacher's body impaled on a pole in the middle of the road. The creature flies by and drops Justin's headless body onto Rick, crushing him to death. Danny drives off with the creature in close pursuit. As she approaches the cave, the creature lands on the hood and attacks Danny, who steers the vehicle directly into the opening of the cave, sending the creature flying inside. When it attacks one last time, Danny lights the dynamite and escapes just as the dynamite explodes, sealing the entrance with the creature trapped inside. Afterwards, Danny returns to the station, lays her ranger badge on the table, and then leaves. Sometime later, Danny tells a policeman about the killings but says she doesn't know who did it. Then she explains that she was the driver in the accident that killed Julie, accepting responsibility for her friend's death.
Cast
*
Cerina Vincent
Cerina Vincent (born February 7, 1979) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough role starring as Maya in the television series '' Power Rangers Lost Galaxy,'' followed by a part in the comedy film '' Not Another Teen Movie'', before goi ...
as Danielle "Danny" St. Claire
*
Dominic Zamprogna
Dominic Zamprogna (, ; born April 21, 1979) is a Canadian actor and voice artist. He is perhaps best known for his roles on the television series '' Edgemont'', '' Battlestar Galactica'' and '' General Hospital''.
Early life
Zamprogna was born i ...
as Justin Rawley
*
Greg Kean as Rick Bailey
*
Eric Schweig
Eric Schweig (born Ray Dean Thrasher; 19 June 1967) is an Indigenous Canadian actor best known for his role as Chingachgook's son Uncas in ''The Last of the Mohicans'' (1992).
Early life
Schweig was born in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. He is ...
as Joseph Riverwind
* Matt Jordon as Wakinyah Creature
*
Miranda Frigon as Julie Cassidy
* Sean Wei Mah as Ben Wheelock
*
Tinsel Korey
Tinsel Korey (born March 25, 1980) is a Canadian actress and singer-songwriter. She is best known for portraying Emily Young in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series.
Life and career
Prior to moving to Vancouver, Korey had already appeared in so ...
as Lark Rainwater
* Fred Henderson as Carl Nash
* Chilton Crane as Evelyn Nash
* Sean Campbell as Lt. Morris Black
*
Michael Bell as Voice of Hoppy
Production
Development
''It Waits'' was directed by
Steven R. Monroe. The original screenplay was written by
Richard Christian Matheson and Thomas E. Szollosi, and was initially purchased by a French producer who intended to shoot the film in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. After this initial deal fell through due to lack of financing, Stephen J. Cannell purchased the project for his production company and signed a deal with
IDT Entertainment/Anchor Bay. Cannell rewrote the original script, changing the lead male character "Mike" to a female forest ranger. Cannell also added the love story between Danny and Justin.
Casting
Cerina Vincent was director Steven R. Monroe's first choice to play the lead character Danny. Monroe was convinced that Vincent could bring to the role an appeal to both men and women, and that she could deliver the dramatic scenes in the film. Cannell also felt that Vincent had the talent to carry the film.
After appearing in ''Cabin Fever'' in 2002, Vincent was not eager to do another horror film. After reading the script, however, she was immediately attracted to the character and the acting challenges it presented.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
began in November 2004 on location in the Watershed area about east of
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...
, British Columbia, around
Buntzen Lake.
Four separate caves were used, including an old copper mine.
The ranger station tower was constructed in two pieces. A few shots show the tower assembled. Most of the interior shots of the top half of the tower were filmed while that piece was on the ground.
Release
Home media
''It Waits'' was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
by
Anchor Bay on May 23, 2006. Anchor Bay/Starz later re-released the film on
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of s ...
on May 25, 2010.
Critical response
''It Waits'' received generally negative reviews.
In ''ReelFilm Reviews'', David Nusair gave the film two out of four stars, commending Vincent's performance, and action sequences. However, Nusair criticized the film's melodramatic aspects and slow pacing. Nusair concludes, "While it's certainly better than the majority of its straight-to-video horror brethren, ''It Waits'' is ultimately bogged down by a melodramatic opening half-hour and an overall feeling of tediousness."
Robert Pardi from
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program TV listings, listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine, TV Guide Mag ...
gave the film one out of four stars, calling it "a standard-issue rustic splatter film".
Pardi notes that the screenwriters "waste a lot of time developing Danny's back story" and director Steven R. Monroe "piles on the gore"—the result is "repetitive, silly and more than a little gross".
''HorrorNews.net'' gave the film a negative review, stating that the film felt drawn out, criticizing the film's pacing, performances, and the monster's lack of screen time.
Bill Gibron from
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
gave the film two and a half out of five stars, calling it "pretentious", and panned the film's "barely coherent" acting, direction, and narrative inconsistencies.
Steve Barton from
Dread Central
Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website ...
rated the film a score of three out of five, commending the film's direction, writing, performances, while also stating that occasional scenes came off as "whiney and unnecessary".
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Steven R. Monroe
2005 direct-to-video films
2005 horror films
American monster movies
2000s monster movies
2005 films
Films directed by Steven R. Monroe
Supernatural slasher films
Native Americans in popular culture
Films with screenplays by Richard Christian Matheson
Films set in forests
Films shot in British Columbia
2000s English-language films
2000s American films