After hearing strange animal reports, a documentary filmmaker and his partner head to the area where the sightings have come from in a remote section of the woods near Lake Tahoe hoping to spot an elusive creature, but they soon discover the tales might be true and try to leave the woods alive.
This was a generally fun genre effort. One of the better features here is the enjoyable setup that features quite a lot to like as it moves through several fine storylines. Starting with the backstage footage of their collaborations together leads to the decision to start the project on a fine note as the scenes looking at the series of video footage they see to change focus on the spate of recent sightings. This all creates a strong starting point as it spells out the various stages necessary here with the starting point of the filmmakers' relationship with each other and the general introduction of the search for the creature that is the overall point here. The other big positive to this one is the final half where the group, out alone in the woods filming, is finally given the space they need for a great time. The simple-minded scenes out wandering around looking for a campsite or dealing with personal issues is a fine way to start this and the escalating issues get brought out even further with the big confrontation in the woods as the switch from the noises in the background to plenty of evidence that the creature is out there featuring the discovery of the dead body, the series of night-vision encounters that are quite chilling as the creature effects are kept brief but effective. These make the film quite enjoyable overall while there are some flaws to be had with this one. The biggest factor here is the general lack of action in the second half which it focuses on a lot of investigating at the expense of creature action. The group going through the community talking with eyewitnesses and survivors or looking into the wilderness expert they eventually bring along slows the pace of this one considerably taking these elements into the forefront rather than getting more confrontations with the creature. The other slight issue here is the general lack of traditional creature action which leaves this one without much in the way of expected gore or attacks which is enough to hold this down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Mild Violence.
