Territory

Decided to give this movie a try since I was in the mood for a thriller - it was so worth it! The story centers around a couple, one of whom (Loretta) is obsessed with an old unsolved murder case and decides to explore the area nearby where the victim was found. Meanwhile, her husband Randy frantically searches for her, and along the way we learn that there is a lot more to this place than meets the eye. The movie itself is beautiful and the sound/soundtrack is gripping - I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. There were a few times when Loretta or Randy encountered something for the first time and I yelped out loud - the cave scene in particular had me sweating bullets (I won't give away any spoilers). The story strikes a nice balance of explaining things but also leaving you with plenty of questions - if you watch this late at night plan on staying up all night thinking about it afterward! Overall very much enjoyed it and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a thrill.

A couple of manifestly out of shape amateur hikers stumble around a spooky, off-limits wilderness area until one turns into a banshee-like thing while the other tries to overcome his bafflement to rescue her. A character costumed like a devil from a Halloween shopping mall display is ultimately at fault.

No, it's not a comedy, though the male lead character should plainly have spent the day in bed. He and his girlfriend give earnest enough performances, but despite some gory touches they can't convert this film into a genuinely frightening one.

Nonetheless it does have its share of local color and atmosphere, and the terrain is suitably obstacle ridden.

Yes I guess the fact that a film with only 2 people wandering around in an occasionally supernatural woods can't sustain interest for a full feature, it should have been shorter, but the first 3rd of the film is very strong and moody, then it just turns into long long set piece scenes, 2 of which are mostly just blackness with noises, neither of which work. The ending isn't totally grim but doesn't make sense. It seems in the last half of the movie they are pretty much just making it up as they go along. There is a needless element of the husband recording stuff on his videocamera for a bit that isn't needed and I have to say, really, at this point we still have to do Blair Witch. Digital effects are mostly pretty poor and that hurts as the film builds up effect mood only for some of the pay offs to be mediocre CG. Music score doesn't help much, but some great locations do! There just isn't enough here ultimately to keep you going for this long. The wife's story goes especially wrong almost comically so.

I took a chance on this movie that had zero reviews and I'm really glad I did. Great performances, from both leads, creating complex and believable characters. With beautiful cinematography, the sweeping landscapes emphasis the characters isolation. Delightfully weird and a little bit kinky, the story unfolds with a creeping sense of dread. When Loretta, portrayed flawlessly by Inja Zalta, entered the caves I got so scared I had to pause the film and resume the following night.

Only slightly let down by a lack of explanation and some questionable CGI, but I have seen much worse in Hollywood blockbusters.