Tag Archives: Horror

Film reviews

Pitfall Review

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When there is a hole full of spheres in a wretched forest, it sets the scene for an unforgettable survival game. Pitfall had me in wonders. I was shocked and elevated. The film had plenty of motion linking present and past events. There is a dynamic where a harsh past impacts new territories with dangerous elements. Directed by James Kondelik, this is one of the most gory and brilliant terror films I have seen. The brutality in this story captivates and requires thick skin.

The hiking adventures take place around British Columbia.There are a group of friends, Scott (Marshall Williams), Lars (Richard Harmon), Ashley (Alexandra Essoe), Gwen (Jordan Claire Robbins), and Charlie. Scott and Ashley are siblings. They are going on a camping adventure. Their past causes the forest to bring back terrorizing memories. Yet, they feel getting back out in the woods will help them regain their confidence.

The film brings in a storyline about grieving. It highlights aspects of the emotions humans face when dealing with things that are right in front of them. These parts of the film are uplifting and offset the crazier moments in Pitfall. To continue with the plot, Scott falls in a hole, and his leg is stuck and he is at risk of bleeding out. Everyone tries to search for Scott, but an enemy is in their midst. He is Hunter (Randy Couture). When it comes to Hunter, it is his forest, his territory, and his traps. He is like a combo of Big Foot meets Zelda. However, an even uglier type.

I love this movie because I love slasher flicks. With the forest and the trees providing a mix of resources, I felt nature fit wellwith the battle and survival sequences. Trees always offer a form of protection, even if the wood is thin. After pursuing many angles, there is no clear way out in Pitfall. There is only sticking together and hoping to make it out alive. This is a solid shock and awe thriller with a new brand vengeance that I was wrapped up in from beginning to end. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

Passenger Review

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This film about an RV trip that finds itself in shambles has class. It has karma, symbolism, and eye-opening lines. At moments it is quirky, but chilling in the scares. Passenger soars. The momentum is gradual and audacious. The forest settings are surreal. The plot is promising. Best of all, it is not so predictable. There are hidden gems that spiral ferociously in Passengerwhile. demonic moments of evil linger.

The movie is directed by André Øvredal and written by Zachary Donohue and T.W. Burgess. These writers have backgrounds that began with short films. This one is Burgess’s first main feature. Their creative minds are determined to haunt viewers in Passenger. The RV plays a starring role in Passenger during a romantic getaway where nightmares abound, and the story takes compelling turns.

The film is about a couple, Tyler and Maddie (Jacob Scipio and Lou Llobell) who are on the road to an engagement. Tyler lives for his RV and Maddie goes along with it. Before their adventures the film introduces audiences to a scenario involvinga car accident. That spirit then follows Tyler and Maddie. The karma from those events continues to follow Tyler and Maddie. It is likely to make this RV excursion their last one.

There are moments of imagery in the film where Maddie feels like they’re being followed. Someone is painted to appear menacing, and he is. However, it takes time for Tyler to get caught up with this lingering component in their travels. The film transitions to focus on their relationship. I appreciated that part of the story because I feel relationships do not always have a strong focus in a film like this. Fortunately, their relationship is explored in various parts of Passenger.

There is a line that gets crossed frequently in the film. I felt the adventures they faced on the road trip stirred both horrid and good questions during the ride. There is no happy way out. There are lots of twists and turns, but the way they stick together makes it enjoyable yet not amazing. Three out of four stars for Passenger.

Film reviews

The Yeti Review

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I was hoping for some terror that would shock or awe me. I was also hoping for a sense of uncharted territory. I thought this was going to be a suspense thriller with old-school vibes. As it turns out, this film was rather dull. Co-written and co-directed by Gene Gallerano and William Pisciotta, this is The Yeti. A wilderness film that tries to seem interesting while keeping the shock levels low. The cinematics of common ground though look as if it was rushed in the process. Overall, my boredom came around way too easily.

The film revolves around an expedition in Alaska territory in the year 1947. Its main characters are Merriell Sunday Sr. (Corbin Bernsen), and Hollis Banister (William Sadler). Both have vanished into the wilderness. Ellie (Brittany Allen), and Merrierll Sunday Jr. (Eric Nelsen) set off on an adventure to find them, however, their journey carries some monstrous paths. The forest has eerie moments, with those who are on the trek being the prey. Overall, the context of the film  rushes to get to the point of danger. 

The film requires more of a premise. It starts off with a sense to feel historical, but is tainted. The film has compass and voyager discussions, a lot of which are sloppy, C grade writing. The scenery is great to capture the essence of dangerous lands, but it is not utilized to the extent to flow with cinematics properly. Then there are others on the expedition, including Booker (Jim Cummings). Most of the conversations, however, are between Ellie, Merriell, and Booker—the other characters feel non-existent. I felt the movie had its moments to feel like absolutely nothing was happening. That is how dry my experience was. Overall, though, the thought of a monster and primal fear kept my attention span somehow. I remained hopeful.

With the film hurdling its way to find the scary, it creates a backstory that feels trapped, but then later it opens up with the many sound effects of the forest and the appearance of its namesake creature. The primal instinct to feel fear was lost to me, instead, my head was spinning. I was thinking repeatedly, who is coming around? No justice was coming around positively for me with The Yeti. Overall, the blurriness never evolved intoany sort of form to hold the film’s creativity or the feeling of being obscure or unique.

With the angle of trying to save someone but also face a form of creepy, The Yeti is one of those films where I did not lose faith,but I knew that it could be better. Primarily because the layouts around it were promising for a much more enriching experience.Moving throughout the terror, there were no proper conclusions or contexts to the automatic jumps of the many broken fragments in the film. These “broken fragments” of saving someone with no backstory behind  why they are missing in the first place were frustrating in not being cohesive on the level that I was anticipating. The concept of the direction continued to attempt at finding its thriving side but continually flopped. I still rate the film at two out of four stars.