Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- eerie
- foreboding
- late night horror marathon
- western horror double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's effective fusion of western and horror conventions, atmospheric cinematography, screenplay, and character development.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film combines a posse-led western journey across Dakota territory with subterranean monster horror.
The men initially blame Native Americans for the settlers' disappearance, delaying recognition of the true enemy.
The vanished settler family functions as the mystery that organizes the posse's expedition and reveals darker truths about its members.
Critics specifically praised the cinematography, and the Dakota wilderness frames the characters' vulnerability to threats beneath the ground.
Films like The Burrowers, and why
Ravenous
shared horror-western hybrid, frontier isolation, and human prejudice confronting a nonhuman threat
The Wind
shared period frontier setting, folk-horror atmosphere, and bleak confrontation with monstrous forces
Bone Tomahawk
shared western horror framework, subterranean menace, and survival-driven group conflict
The Relic
shared creature-feature tension, historical setting, and expedition narrative confronting an unfamiliar predator
Movie Details
- Director
- J.T. Petty
- Release Date
- 2008-09-09
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (245)
Cast
- Doug Hutchison
- Clancy Brown
- William Mapother
- Karl Geary
- Jocelin Donahue
- Laura Leighton
- David Busse
- Alexandra Edmo
- Brighid Fleming
- Christopher Hagen
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Burrowers about?
- A frontier posse searching for vanished settlers discovers that the Dakota wilderness hides a far more terrifying enemy than the people they blame.
- What is The Burrowers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Burrowers as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Burrowers violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Burrowers as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Burrowers?
- Critics broadly praised the film's effective fusion of western and horror conventions, atmospheric cinematography, screenplay, and character development.
- Which films are like The Burrowers?
- Films with a similar feel include Ravenous, The Wind, Bone Tomahawk, and The Relic.
- How long is The Burrowers?
- The Burrowers runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Burrowers?
- In United States, The Burrowers streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel.
