Population 436 [DVD] [2006]

 

 

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Fifty miles past the end of nowhere lies Rockwell Falls, a self-styled perfect town that takes its solidarity, tranquility, and - above all - its equilibrium seriously. On the surface, it's a pleasant little town where everyone seems happy, crime is nonexistent, and you never have to look very far for your next piece of apple pie. It's a weird thing, though; the town's population never seems to change. It took a century for some genius at the Census Bureau to notice this oddity, but the bureaucracy finally decided to send someone out to investigate. Rockwell Falls doesn't cotton to strangers all that well, but the local leaders have little choice but to let Steve Kady (Jeremy Sisto), in to do his official government business. Everyone seems super-friendly to him, but it doesn't take him long to figure out that something is seriously wrong with this town. We the viewers learn early on just how Rockwell Falls keeps its population completely static, but it takes Steve a while to figure things out on his own.

Steve is stymied in his efforts to interview several members of the community; according to the mayor and local doctor, those citizens are currently suffering from "the fever." This fever isn't all that rare, but old Doctor Greaver is almost always successful at curing his patients one way or another. Steve eventually learns all about this fever, as well as the unique religious beliefs that form the basis of the town's peculiar way of life. The more he learns, the clearer it becomes that he is expected to become a permanent resident of Rockwell Falls. It's for his own good, really, as those who do attempt to escape the town are struck down by God himself. Steve doesn't buy that argument for a minute. He's determined to return to civilization as soon as possible, and he doesn't plan on leaving by himself, either. There's an orphan girl being treated for the fever by the good doctor, and a young lady named Courtney (Charlotte Sullivan) who wants out as badly as he does. I have to say I really liked the way this story played out, as the filmmakers chose not to play it safe - perhaps realizing that a formulaic ending would negate the effectiveness and atmosphere of the entire film. I really got a kick out of the final scenes. (The DVD includes an alternate ending, which I have not seen and cannot comment on.)

Population 436 never manages to become truly suspenseful, and it's certainly not scary, but it is surprisingly effective nonetheless. After the first twenty minutes or so, the pacing of the story is quite good, letting the true nature of this local society emerge gradually, and the acting of the entire cast (even Fred Durst) is another feather in the film's cap. As good as the film's basic concept is, this kind of story could easily have degenerated into something really silly, but director Michelle Maxwell MacLaren never allowed that to happen. I'm not saying that everyone out there would enjoy this film, particularly action-oriented horror fans, but I think a lot of individuals will be pleasantly surprised by it - and that includes young teenagers. For the life of me, I can't figure out why this film has an R rating - there are very few violent scenes (and none of them are the least bit gory), the language is quite pedestrian in nature (all of this takes place in a really gung-ho - albeit cult-based - religious community), and the film's one and only sex scene is tamer than many a scene you'll find on network television.

I have just rented this movie out and what can i say but cool! The plot is fairly straight-forward, a cencus taker arrives in a small apparently idyllic town and begins to uncover disturbing things lurking underneath the surface of a town that has managed to maintain a population of excactly 436 for over 100 years. This is one of those obscure gems that is released with little or no fanfare but open minded horror fans should definately seek out. The film operates along similar slow-burning horror stories like the wicker man and The lottery carefully releasing it's secrets at just the right moments and leaving some unrevealed to create a decent air of mystery. While there are some problems with editing and camera work overall this is origional enough to be one worth watching!

This straight to video release is really just a telly movie but is none the worse for that.
A man travels to a small u.s town to take the census and finds he cannot leave and creepy goings on. this builds on the usual "you're not from round here are you?" small town fear of strangers and twists it round so that your first impressions of whats going on are proved wrong. the performances are surprisingly good and there really aren't any duff ones, even Limp bizkits Fred Durst puts a fair effort in.
There are some nicely worked shocks and when looked at as a whole it all holds together far better than the meagre budget should allow. It's also nice to see the film hold a steady course right to the end and not to opt for a sell out ending.
the only extra is the alternate ending which you will have worked out anyway. The picture is sharp most of the time, only displaying some grain and lack of focus during one or two cheapo CGI moments, colour is a little saturated but lively. sound is a perfectly acceptable 5.1 mix which makes a nice change from the usual plain stereo you would normally get for this sort of movie.
Give this one a try, you may be pleasantly surprised at the decent job done.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Good film
Not really a horror but pretty creepy, definitely has a "Wicker Man" vibe going on so if you liked that definitely check this out, it's very similiar. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Will

2.0 out of 5 stars Good story - rubbish execution
Well then.

I saw this because someone `gave' it me on dvd and I am kinda glad I didn't buy it myself. There are 436 people in Rockwell Falls. No more, no less. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Jackiesmackie

1.0 out of 5 stars a waste of time
Predictable, unimaginative, boring... I gave my copy away immediately after watching it- Cannot recommend this film in any way as any good concepts in it have been done before and... Read more

Published 6 months ago by T.Harris

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hidden Gem
'Poulation 436' is maybe little known, but sometimes it's just brilliant when you stumble across a film, take a chance on it with pretty low expectations and finish off feeling... Read more

Published 6 months ago by The Dandy Highwayman

3.0 out of 5 stars Could've been better
I have just watched this film and it started off very well. A close knit community with a population of only 436. It reminded me of another film called "The Lottery. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Catherine

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good horror thriller.
population 436 is a surprisingly good horror thriller, well acted with a decent cast, (even Fred Durst was pretty good), and clever plotline, not dissimilar to 'The Wicker Man'... Read more

Published 19 months ago by Ernie

4.0 out of 5 stars a surpriser
I rather like this, took a chance on it but am glad I did, bout a small town with secrets, in a way kinda like the village, but without those things I'd rather not speak of lol,... Read more

Published 22 months ago by nypj69

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent movie, but don`t spend too much...the producers didn`t!
What "Population 436" does pretty well in creating is an atmosphere of unease, and it`s also fairly successful in portraying the dangerous behaviour that true religious dogma can... Read more

Published on 4 Jun 2009 by Little Cat Voom

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good
No big star, no big budget but it is a very good film and the one to watch

Published on 4 May 2008 by mariko abe

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost excellent, but...
Population 436 is a surprisingly good film, however it can't quite decide whether to be a supernatural thriller or just a town full of weirdo's lead by a pschyiatrist "curing"... Read more

Published on 15 Feb 2008 by Charles Gosling

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