If the job of a horror film is to terrify, then The Outwaters is refreshingly direct and astonishingly successful even as it is, in certain ways, wilfully obscure.

| Jul 8, 2024

Liminal horror is having a moment, and while Skinamarink may have been the viral, nothing-but-vibes flavor of the year, the rest of us were jabbering about The Outwaters to anyone who would listen.

| Jul 3, 2024

The Outwaters doesn’t play it safe. In fact, it goes big and bold with its conceit in such a way that makes it nothing short of a vital entry in the genre.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 3, 2024

The Outwaters sounds Blair Witch–like on paper, down to the camping trip its group of four friends is taking. But the actual experience of watching it is an astonishing array of dreamlike imagery as the trip goes from mundane to macabre.

| Dec 9, 2023

It is fascinating that he managed to pour his entire vision on-screen, on his own terms, and have a hand at all of those filmmaking facets – a horror version of Steven Soderbergh almost...

| Original Score: B- | Jul 25, 2023

It’s still imperfect — too many parts look like mere filler — but it earns respect, and some fans of weird horror are sure to love it.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 10, 2023

The soundscape is everything in this tale of misadventures in the desert. Like Skinamarink, The Outwaters is another example of the new-wave of experimental found footage films. It won’t satisfy everyone, but Robbie Banfitch’s ambition cannot be denied.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 7, 2023

Lacing the scramble too with a cosmic hint of Stanley Kubrick, director and star Robbie Banfitch touches on something truly nightmarish.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 6, 2023

The Outwaters is almost hypnotic in its relentless pursuit of terror. Not knowing what lurks in the dark and what really is happening to the characters is terrifying in a way Ghostface or Jigsaw will never be.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 6, 2023

While its craft is certainly interesting, there’s something decadent and empty at its heart.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 4, 2023

The Outwaters is, without hesitation, one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen. An absolute waking nightmare.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Mar 21, 2023

Despite its interminable runtime, the film demonstrates Banfitch’s surprising skill, not only as a writer, director, and actor but as the talent credited with The Outwaters’ visionary special effects and sound engineering.

| Mar 15, 2023

This is an experience in horror that just shakes and leaves you out of breath like all films should. I can’t wait to see what Banfitch does next.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 12, 2023

This film may induce whiplash. And, perhaps, nausea. Proceed at your own risk. If you’re a fan of outre cinema, though: Strap in.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Mar 10, 2023

This is one hundred percent an experimental film... I do think it's worth a watch at least once.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Mar 9, 2023

The Outwaters subverts found footage tropes by offering a horrific climax that plays for nearly an hour and features pure nightmare fuel. A great entry in the continuing trend of "event" cinema

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Mar 7, 2023

And, as with all bad found footage films, the camera is barely justified. The opening tedium does at least warrant its usage, adding credence to the setup. In the near hour of jumbled carnage that ensues, there’s just no reason for anyone to keep filming.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 1, 2023

It uses the trappings of found footage just enough that Banfitch can cleverly break the rules once things really get creepy.

| Feb 28, 2023

Some may find all this tedious or confusing, but there’s an admirable integrity to Banfitch’s approach. “The Outwaters” genuinely feels like a first-person perspective on the end of the world.

| Feb 24, 2023

“The Outwaters” shows that its director/writer/star/et al. Robbie Banfitch is a storm of creativity. Horror fans should be eagerly anticipating what he does next.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Feb 23, 2023