Introduction:
Follow, follow, follow,
follow, follow the yellow brick road. Or not. Because this yellow brick road
leads to insanity, pain and death. Are you ready for a heaping helping of
surreal horror? Then ditch Dorothy and see just how wicked the woods can really
be.
Summary:
In 1940 everyone in a small
town of New Hampshire took a walk in the woods. Only one person came back,
completely insane and covered in blood. The corpses found on the “Yellow Brick
Road” were mutilated beyond sanity. This story has intrigued Ted Barnes
(Michael Laurino) for years and now he’s got a small expedition together to
walk the same trail and seek out answers. Quickly very odd things start
happening. Compasses and GPS work erratically. Mysterious music is heard floating
through the woods. A hat from the 40s is found completely untouched by time.
But with each step the group takes the further from sanity they get, and its
only a matter of time before someone breaks and blood is spilled again on the YellowBrickRoad.
Good Points:
- Excellent use of editing, sound and music creates a nightmare world
- Solid acting by an unknown cast pulls the viewer in
- There is no sense in madness
Bad Points:
- Gore hounds are going to be disappointed
- Does not follow traditional storytelling rules
- There is no sense in madness
Overall:
This is one of those movies
where the atmosphere is everything. If you don’t get pulled into the slowly
escalating insanity, then the movie is going to come across as nonsensical and
stupid. But if you roll with it, don’t ask why, and just take the trip with
these poor folks, you’ll find yourself sufficiently creeped out. It’s hard to
do these types of movies well, and directors Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton pull
it off.
Scores
(out of 5)
Visuals: 4
Sound: 5
Acting: 4
Script: 4
Music: 4
Direction: 5
Entertainment: 4
Total: 4
Sounds fun. At least its different from the usual impossibly-attractive-teens-stay-in-isolated-farmhouse/camp/ranch-where-cellphones-don't-work-and-a-maniac-who-may-be-one-of-the-teens-lurks-with-various-sharp-weapons.
ReplyDeleteIt's a worth checking out. I do have to say that the ending is probably the weakest part of the film. In surreal flicks like this, the ending is usually the hardest part to stick. I've read a couple reviews that were hard on the film because of it. But I think the atmosphere and manipulation of the characters makes up for it.
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