Written and directed by: Howard J. Ford

Between the underwhelming Row and the poorly made Borley Rectory: The Awakening, I haven’t had the best luck covering U.K. horror this past year. But when Ruth asked if I wanted to review Bone Keeper, I was intrigued; the premise sounded cool, the promotional images looked creepy, and the cast featured Lord of the Rings star John Rhys-Davies. Hopefully, the third time would be the charm.

Bone Keeper follows a group of six friends exploring a cave system in a rural area to investigate disappearances reported there, most recently including the mother of one of the friends, Olivia (Sarah Alexandra Marks). While the rumors of a mysterious creature residing in the caves have been dismissed by the media as a hoax, the group soon learns that it isn’t the case.

While it’s not a perfect movie, I enjoyed Bone Keeper more than I enjoyed the last couple of independent horror movies I’ve covered. The “group of good-looking 20-somethings on a camping/hiking/caving trip” trope is a tried-and-true horror setup, and the movie mostly does it well. The main cast is solid, although the standouts are Sarah Alexandra Marks as Olivia and Tiffany Hanham-Daniels as Annabelle, both of whom give natural, likable performances, and Louis James as Ethan, whose comedic delivery makes a character who could be insufferable a lot of fun to watch.

The supporting cast is more of a mixed bag; obviously, John Rhys-Davies is such a great actor that he elevates every scene he’s in as Professor Harisson, a reclusive old man who knows the truth about what lurks in the caves, but Pat Garrett as Linda Landlady, the barkeeper at the local pub, and Marco Antonio Clifton as Ruskin, an abrasive townie, give a little too much melodramatic “community theater” energy.

The look of this movie is a mixed bag as well. Something about the lighting and editing makes some shots look like they’re AI-generated, even though I know they’re not; it doesn’t look cheap or unprofessional, but there’s something that looks a little uncanny in some parts. That said, the special effects are impressive for an independent film. The monster appears to be a mix of CGI and practical effects, depending on the scene, but it looks consistently good; the CGI is used sparingly enough that I’m not taken out of the experience, and the practical effects are slimy, creepy, and realistic.

While Bone Keeper isn’t anything groundbreaking, it’s still an enjoyable horror movie that’s mostly well-made and well-performed. I could see myself pulling it up on Tubi as a fun, rainy-day watch.

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Bone Keeper celebrated its World Premiere at FrightFest Glasgow
and is now available on Digital Download

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