“In the fall of 1940, the entire population of Friar, New Hampshire—all 572 of them—abandoned their homes, their possessions and their lives and walked up an ancient trail, never to be seen alive again. Their fates remained a mystery for over seventy years, until a team of researchers discover the trailhead and attempt to retrace the path the doomed citizens of Friar took. A few among them believe they will find something terrible in the forest. But it is the forest that will find something terrible in them.”
As a fan of horror, can you honestly say that synopsis doesn’t intrigue you in the slightest? I mean the movie is one giant Wizard of Oz metaphor and a throwback to the character driven horror films of the 1970s. What originally drew me to this film was the name and how you could instinctively tell that this wasn’t going to be a blood fest, but something else entirely. I thought there would be some mayhem but my preconceived notions were way off as this film began to its shape.
Yellowbrickroad was co-written and co-directed by Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton, it is their debut film and I have to commend them on going a different route with their first feature. This film is rather unique for a debut horror film since it is more of a psychological film with some disturbingly bloody scenes rather than being dominated by blood as we tend to see today. What the two managed to do that thoroughly impressed me was how they built such a suspenseful and eerie atmosphere as the team navigated the path. The movie was extremely creepy and chock full of mysticism, begging questions from you every five minutes and keeping you on your toes. There were ‘natural’ sounds created by the forest that sounded like music coming from an old phonograph which is what really added to the mysticism of the road and why nobody ever returned when they travelled it back in the 40s. The key behind the music was that at first most found it beautiful, but after a few days it started to drive them crazy while out in the wilderness. These are the important aspects that help drive a horror film and create that atmosphere of anxiety, suspense, and a certain level of questioning, so I say again, well done with the pacing and mood creation Mr. Mitton and Mr. Holland.
As for the performances themselves, the movie stars relatively unknown actors and actresses. The cast includes Cassidy Freeman, Anessa Ramsey, Clark Freeman, Lee Wilkof, Laura Heisler, Alex Draper, Michael Laurino, Tara Giordano and Sam Elmore. Despite being either unknown or simply b-rated performers, I thought most of them actually did a solid job, which I was really surprised me. While the atmosphere was created by the directors, it was the performances that really supported and drove this film. If the performances were awful then you couldn’t even watch this movie to begin with and I would have just called it a piece of crap horror from the beginning.
The one downside to this film, and it’s a major one at that, is the big reveal at the end of the road. I won’t spoil exactly what happens but what I can say is that it doesn’t answer any of the questions that you’ve been asking throughout the film and it doesn’t exactly make any sense either. I’m usually pretty content with open-ended endings but when there is not even the slightest closure from one of the main focuses of the film it makes you feel like you wasted your time. While I believe the film deserves, and actually requires a second viewing, the ending gets a bit too fantastical for me and comes off as an ending that was made because they either couldn’t think of anything else or because they wanted to add one more horror element that was unique and totally unexpected. Either way, they failed.
As for the DVD itself, there isn’t much to discuss. The only special feature it has on it is the directors’ audio commentary which, if I watched the film a second time, I would listen to because maybe then it would explain more about what everything means in the film and why it ended in such an odd way.
Overall, YellowBrickRoad is a decent horror film that succeeds in creating a creepy and disturbing atmosphere while also maintaining an appropriate pace to build your anticipation and create tension. Unfortunately, the film gets destroyed by its anti-climactic ending that leaves too many questions unanswered and becomes to mystical for its own good. Luckily for us, the film is definitely watchable thanks to the good performances, the unique story, and our desire to learn what’s actually at the end of the yellow brick road.
Rating: A decent and eerie horror that’s got all the right elements but fails drastically in the finale (5.5/10)
YellowBrickRoad is now available on DVD, VOD and other platforms via Bloody Disgusting Selects
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