YellowBrickRoad

In 1940, almost the entire population of a town in New Hampshire mysteriously leave their homes, their belongings and even their pets, and head north along a trail into the dense wilderness. The corpses of those discovered are the only trace of what might have happened to the people of Friar. Many years later, Teddy Barnes and a team of researchers, pathfinders, historians and psychologists decide to follow the same trail and uncover the mystery of what happened in 1940. But what waits for them at the end of the trail - and will they survive to reach it?

I know what you're thinking. This is a movie about a group of people who, whilst following a mysterious trail through the wilderness in search of answers, begin to perish. It therefore must involve masked killers or mutated bears, right? Actually, no. "YellowBrickRoad" takes its inspiration from some of the classic older horror movies – such as "The Shining", "Deliverance" and the original version of "The Wicker Man" – and, instead of aiming purely for the eyes of the audience, it also aims for the mind. This is a slow-burning psychological horror filled with sights and sounds which get under your skin and worm their way into your brain; just as they do with the characters themselves.

That's not to say that there isn't gore or violence in "YellowBrickRoad". There are several scenes involving terrible, bloody things happening to people, but the film-makers shoot those scenes in a way that forces the audience to let their imaginations run rampant and fill in the gaps. It's not really these death scenes that will stick with you after the movie has ended, though. It's the way that "YellowBrickRoad" forces you to watch as the seemingly well-adjusted individuals to whom you're introduced at the beginning rapidly drift into insanity, rage, loneliness, brutality and utter confusion as the rules of reality change around them.

For a good portion of its running time, "YellowBrickRoad" is a creepy and unsettling story that fully preys upon our fear of the unknown. Without resorting to cheap scares, the movie accurately portrays how a group of people might act if they took too many steps northward and suddenly found themselves in the Twilight Zone. All of the main actors do a fine job and, despite working with an obviously limited budget, the directors utilise sound, along with moody, lonesome cinematography and the rustic setting to create a tense and spooky atmosphere.

Some may have a problem with the ending which perhaps veers a bit too closely into David Lynch territory, but I found it to be an interesting and apt way of closing the movie. For those who are fans of horror cinema, such as "Session 9" or "The Shining", in which the protagonists are confronted with something unknown and terrible that slowly burns away at their sanity and willpower, this may be close to essential viewing for you.

The first thing that comes to mind, for me, and many others that watched Yellow Brick Road is it's similarity to the old and great Russian film masterpiece "Stalker".

The premise of the film in Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker is very similar to the principle and initial concept to Yellow Brick Road, which is a trip into a mysterious "Zone" where the land and directions are twisted by dreaded anomalies in physics.

More so, the idea that all your answers could be found at the end of the road is not necessarily derived from the film "Wizard of OZ" as implied, but more so from the same premise of the film and book "Stalker" to which a room of sorts at the end of the journey can grant you your wishes and desires.

Yellow Brick Road not only has many of Stalker's principle concepts, but also the low-brush feel of the abandoned terrain as well, though Stalker, even in it's much older date, is cinematically far superior.

Yellow Brick Road is clearly influenced by such great psychological films such as Stalker & The Shining. (And far less by The Blair Witch Project to which it is too often compared to) And, in tow, it too, has a slow-burn, being a fine film that very gradually introduces you to the horror aspects of its plot.

So, if you're not patient, don't sit this one out. However if you are, you'll be pleased by the complexity and excellent execution of the film's mysteriously poised premise and interpretations.

Still, Yellow Brick Road departs from the Stalker recipe and moves into its own original motives, which are hunkered down by eerie yet sometimes, annoying horror motifs.

At times, this film seems torn between a science fiction theme and a horror one, and adds in a purposeful sense of mystery to it, with no intention of ever explaining the end.

The ending, in of itself, was clearly made with NO real definition; meaning that it was purposefully created to be interpreted differently by individual viewers. It is not a fixed or solidly explained ending, nor hints at any "credible" revelation either.

This is NOT a spoiler, but a simple warning that viewers will either love the surreal twist, or hate what's left to be personally interpreted.

Unlike newer and similar films with Hitch-And-Twist endings, such as "Vanishing On 7th Street", Yellow Brick Road leaves no hints at its lasting intention, other than portraying some of its characters as reaching a possible hellish demise.

Still, Yellow Brick Road is a rich and imaginative horror film that uniquely uses music and sheer creepiness to stir up much psychological scare tactics. It's also run on a small budget with actors of less than high caliber. However this does not take away from the strong performances and overall high quality of the movie.

If you like bizarre films and movies with a bit of a "Silent Hill" or "The Shinning" effect, this one is for you.

The plot: In the 1940s, an entire town inexplicably follows a path into the wilds of New Hampshire, where they find death and madness. Later, a modern day team of researchers seek to discover what really happened.

YellowBrickRoad is one of the best "flawed but interesting" horror movies I've seen in a while. It's frustrating to many viewers, because it seemingly promises one set of genre conventions (such as a slasher or scifi thriller), yet delivers something radically different (more akin to the Blair Witch Project, without the "found footage" gimmick). YBR is very subtle -- perhaps too subtle. Many questions are never explicitly answered, because the writers apparently find the questions irrelevant or unimportant. Instead, it focuses on subtle themes, which hint at vague answers. If this sounds frustrating, then I'd avoid YBR. It might take multiple viewings to make much sense of this movie.

YBR is a pastiche of rather obvious influences, chiefly the Blair Witch Project and 60s/70s horror. It will also probably appeal to fans of Lovecraft, given the themes of unknowable evil, the frailty of sanity and civilization, and the danger of obsessively searching for answers to unanswerable questions. Fans of modern horror franchises, such as Saw or Hostel, will probably be bored.

In 1940, the residents of a sleepy New England town walked along a trail called Yellowbrick Road, leaving behind their possessions. Some were found frozen, others mysteriously and horribly mutilated. There was one survivor. 70 Years later and the documents surrounding the case have been declassified. Armed with the case files, a crew of nine civilians resolve to set out along the trail, to find out what happened to the earlier inhabitants once and for all...

YellowBrickRoad has a GREAT concept and tries to put an innovative spin on the lost in the forest "subgenre". (if such a thing exists). Part mockumentary, part straight horror, it's certainly ambitious.

However, I gotta say... I just plain hated this film. I thought the execution sucked, and found it nonsensical, boring, unscary, frustrating and very very annoying. It has an "assault on the senses" segment, as noted by another reviewer on this page, that literally had me gritting my teeth, and I personally wondered if they put it in to prevent me falling asleep from boredom, as it's a very jarring sequence. It also has an unintentionally hilarious reaction from the performers, who act like the crew of the original Star Trek when hit by a Klingon torpedo or something. The conclusion is jaw droppingly ludicrous, weak and feels tacked on for the sake of it. It would be right at home on a Scary Door episode from Futurama, it's that ridiculous and silly.

So, yeah... I really disliked it and found it an incoherent mess and a very disappointing film.

BUT... I'm in the severe minority here, apparently. I caught this at Dead By Dawn 2011 and it went down quite well with the audience, with most seeming to love it, or at least like it, including the party I went with. (I was the one dissenter in our group) So, based on the audience reaction, I'm gonna say that this is very much a personal opinion here. It's basically kinda similar to Session 9, (in terms of atmosphere) only in a forest, and I'm one of the apparently few horror fans who was totally non-plussed by Session 9, while most like that one also, so anyone who likes Session 9, should like this.

3/10 from me. It just thoroughly annoyed and bored me from start to finish. That having said, based on audience reaction at Dead By Dawn, I'm actually gonna recommend fans to check it out, as it'll probably go down quite well with you. Just wasn't my cuppa tea at all though.

OK, seriously, i just took the time to register JUST so i could post my review on this movie...from start until about 1 hour and 10 minutes into the movie it was great...really really great...these guys did an extremely good job staying on budget for this film...their mix of strange sound and cinematic views created a great suspenseful atmosphere...up until 1 hour 10 minutes the movie, in my humble opinion, is an 8...good movie...

HOWEVER...the ending is SO terrible that it actually brought my rating to a 3...i see other comments equating the Lynch-style ending to this movie but i have to disagree...

the ending is so muddied that the viewer feels robbed..the whole..."i just sat through this super-great movie to see it end like that???"...so cheap and open was the ending that it cant even be genre-ized...and i agree with other posters...it definitely stays with you...but not in a good way...in an annoying way...TOO many unanswered questions and plot holes...its not a tragedy...its not EXACTLY a horror...not TOO suspenseful..just.........weak..

bottom line..prepare for disappointment...