I first heard about this film a long time ago. I can't remember how but I remember it had glowing reviews and that it was in the style of the Blair Witch Project.
Well, it's NOT in the style of BWP. Yes, there are 3 youths out in the woods being stalked by an unseen psycho but they never acknowledge the presence of the camera because it's not that kind of movie.
Three girls Sarah, Ellie and Angelique go to Angelique's grandfather's cabin out in the wilderness for a weekend of boozing it up. But Angelique has a hidden motive. She's there to go through her grandfather's notes and find out who murdered him and why. It turns out he may have been murdered by a group of hardcore satanists. And when one of the girls makes a prank call to the leader (one Aleister Crowley the man who apparently did zillions of black magic rituals in Boleskin House up at Loch Ness) all hell literally breaks loose.
Their car vanishes, a man in a cloak is seen standing before the trees in the distance and sinister notes are shoved under the door. Sal Ciavarello does create a good amount of tension and mystery but the cheapness almost kills some of the big scares. Some of the chase scenes and especially the ending are just plain confusing because it's cut too fast and shot too darkly. He does however make up for it in sheer brazenness.
It's one of those films where what you don't see is scarier than giving us a full-blown monster (like BWP). However, I personally wanted to see more of the villain.
Most cheap horror films force the characters to do stupid things and foolishly walk into obviously dangerous situations on their own in order to get slashed. HPE does not do this. The girls are forced to spew out hate for religion and their nerves send them almost crazy.
Sal Ciavarello is guilty of cramming way too many ideas into a 90-minute film though. I would like to see this remade with a bigger budget and stronger technical skill. Much like El Cheapo El Mariachi became the much bigger and livelier Desperado.
The DVD of this film is IMPOSSIBLE to find. I managed to hunt down a copy and while it's not a film I would watch again it does make a change from junk like I Forgot What You Did 7 Summers Ago 50, 000, 000.
