Found footage is hardly my favorite
horror sub-genre, and I feel that it’s best to get this out of the
way before I jump into the review. Most filmmakers are content to use
the style as a lame gimmick, and while occasionally you get something
with substance and imagination, the bottom of the barrel seems to be
the go-to place for cheap thrills. Nevertheless, I try to approach
these films with as open a mind as I can manage, because that’s
just how I do things. So here we have a more recent addition to the
craze titled DARK MOUNTAIN. The premise is intriguing, but do the
filmmakers do it justice, and does it transcend its sub-genre
trappings? Let us begin the autopsy and find out.
Somewhere in the Superstition Mountains
(located in Arizona) there is The Lost Dutchman Mine, supposedly one
of the most famous gold mines in the world. Many have explored the
mountains far and wide looking for it, and many have also failed to
return. This of course lends a particular mystique to the area, and
while locals will try to convince curious tourists to turn around and
never look back, it has nevertheless become something of a local
cultural icon.
Sometime during March of 2011, so we
are told, a trio of Los Angeles socialites (erm, filmmakers) set out
to find the mine and maybe even unravel the mystery surrounding it.
For just a little under 80 minutes, we follow the group’s exploits
– the genuine curiosity, the laughs, and of course the seriously
weird shit that shall inevitably go down as they chase down a legend
that probably should have gone undisturbed.
…And that’s really all there is to
it. DARK MOUNTAIN doesn’t have too many surprises up its sleeve, in
fact I’d make an argument that it lacks any at all, and essentially
it’s one of those movies wherein everything you think is going to
happen eventually happens. Save for some kind of explanation/deeper
exploration of the paranormal going-ons, an area that goes overlooked
here by the filmmakers. When the film ends, it just ends, and that’s
that. I’m a fan of ambiguity when there are poignant suggestions
related to the characters or plot, but unfortunately there’s
nothing to suggest in this particular case.’
And lack of imagination isn’t the
only fatal flaw. We’re stuck with three obnoxious, thoroughly
boring and one-dimensional characters for a whole feature; all of
whom, like the film itself, overstay their welcome. There’s no real
chemistry within the group, which is no good since their banter takes
up a considerable portion of the run-time, and instead all that
chitter-chatter just feels like a lazy way to fill in the
requirements given the length. But once you’ve hit a certain point
with this thing, that realization will not be the least bit
surprising.
If anything, DARK MOUNTAIN is proof
that not everyone with a decent camera should be able to use it on a
daily basis. This feels like a student film or worse, what with the
unjustified “experimental” editing and incredibly derivative
script on top of everything else I’ve just mentioned. I don’t
consider myself to be a tough critic in the slightest, but there was
genuinely nothing that I can really say I liked about this film. It’s
clear from the get-go that little effort went into this one, so why
should I make any sort of attempt to find merit in a sea of shit?
Easily the weakest found footage feature I have seen up until now –
and I am sure there is worse out there, but I’m not curious to
unearth such horrors. The DVD is fine and comes with some extended
versions of interviews that were conducted (and then hacked up, for
no apparent reason) throughout the film but honestly it would be
rather mean-spirited of me to recommend this to anyone.
-Ryan Marshall
Director: Tara Anaise
Lead Actor/Actress: N/A
Genre: Horror
Blu-ray Release Year: 2014
Theatrical Release Year: 2013
Time Length: 81 mins.
Rating: NR
Region Code: 0
Release Company: MVD
Website:
Lead Actor/Actress: N/A
Genre: Horror
Blu-ray Release Year: 2014
Theatrical Release Year: 2013
Time Length: 81 mins.
Rating: NR
Region Code: 0
Release Company: MVD
Website: