Starring: Cassidy Freeman, Anessa Ramsey, Clark Freeman, Laura Heisler, Tara Giordano, Michael Laurino.
Director: Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton.
I've decided to abandon the plan to watch stuff in bursts of sub-genres. After a dozen-give or take-possession films, I find the idea of watching another one unbelievably abhorrent. So, now I'm just gonna watch whatever the hell I feel like. So, in that spirit, here's YellowBrickRoad.
This one was chosen because, well, it's Fall now. It's starting to even look and feel like Fall here in Maine, so I figured I'd watch one of the Fall-est movies I've ever come across.
I saw this once awhile back. The internet seemed to mention it a lot as one of those little known gems, and circled around forums and web-reviews quite frequently. I watched it and rather liked it, even if it felt a little jumbled at times...I remember not really fully grasping the ending, and I wonder now if I just wasn't paying close enough attention to the film or whatever...or maybe the ending really is incomprehensible and that's just part of the fun that is this film. So, let's give it a rip and see how it goes.
Old stories of urban legend disappearances are always great fodder for this sort of thing. The general premise: a group of researchers attempt to find out what exactly happened when the population of a New Hampshire village went wandering up an unmarked trail, most to be found frozen and/or murdered, awhile back. Of course, they go wandering and horrible shit happens.
The characters are established rather quickly in atypical horror movie fashion. It's a fun way to do things: characters quickly say "Hi, my name is X and this is what I do," and off we go. One of the guys smiles at all the ladies (despite being established as one of the only guys with a significant other) and offers drinks from his bottle of bourbon. One of them is a Psychologist, which I remember being a nice touch in this film.
I feel like I would have gone for this trail myself many times if there was something like this locally. I don't think I could resist. But maybe not: I can be a superstitious and nervous guy...so maybe I wouldn't go wandering down the death trail. But maybe I would...
There's something subtly creepy about everything, right from the movie theater and the strange discussion (and sudden intensity and desperation) with Liv and her tagging along...there's some great performances here. Different, subtle reactions to events that are seemingly innocuous: a lingering shot on Jill The Intern's face as they slowly begin to tease her more and more, the slightly escalating aggression of some of guys, competitiveness, frustration...it's quiet, it's not super pronounced. Of course, mysterious music just blaring in the woods in the middle of the night is pretty creepy...see, if I did go wander down the death trail, I'd turn around the second that music started playing.
I had forgotten a lot of stuff about this movie...it's even kinda getting under my skin a little bit. The use of still-photography to halt traditional pacing is brilliantly done. The film presents a straightforward (like a direct trail) narrative and then breaks it up with still photographs, quick cuts, and then long uninterrupted moments of contemplation. It's a movie that is literally all over the place structurally.
The violence, when it finally occurs, is among some of the harshest, brutal and yet so casually and remotely executed. Most of the violence is seen through the lens of binoculars, with no sound other than that jazzy music playing in the distance. We don't hear what Daryl says as he is hacking through her limbs with a rock(!)...it's just so casual and matter-of-fact. I don't wince often when watching violent sequences-I've seen far too many horror flicks in my time-but...as Daryl tears Erin apart (literally)...I needed a second. It's really one of the best on-screen murders I've ever seen.
In earlier posts-such as with Scream-I talked a little bit about how madness is portrayed on screen. That madness is always broad and manic. YellowBrickRoad shows it's madness through irritation. It's really brilliant: rather than froth at the mouth and scream out lines, this movie projects things like hurt feelings or being bothered by someone's hat. It utilizes anxiety and depression in a way most movies aren't able to do. Fear, anxiety, depression, mania, melancholia...it's all here and it's marvelous.
The general device of the music is so simple but so very effective. It's not hard to understand why they're going mad. It also works on the audience. I had talked a little bit before about how the film's narrative deliberately messes with audience perception visually: lots of starts and stops, cinematography to still-photography and back again...and then the music and sound starts to act up. Dialogue, occasionally muddled, is replaced by loud music...then silence, then even louder music...then the sound completely drops out.
When the group starts to completely lose its collective mind...man, there's just some great performances and line reads. Jill The Intern just saying "None of you know me...you don't even look at me" is heartbreaking. The dialogue is generally interesting: it's mostly gibberish, really, but much like everything else it just gets inside your head.
It's rare to see a movie where dumb decisions actually make sense. The old cliches are "people in horror movies make dumb decisions so the plot can move forward" but sometimes a film comes along that says "characters will make dumb decisions because they're being forced to." It's good stuff.
I liked Livs monologue about the "need for escape" and "the trail will understand." It was well delivered. Her accent is getting better, too.
Aww, poor Jill The Intern. She was sorry about the candy bag. They didn't even notice.
"If we don't find a town soon, I'm going to do things to you that are unspeakable." Man, this movie has a way with words.
This probably is one of the craziest films I've ever watched. Livs awkward attempts to break Cys neck...Walters suicide tape...its just nuts. Highly emotional, too. In fact, I'd say that this movie is raw emotion, and everyone is game to run with it.
Yeah, I still don't really get the ending, but I don't think I really need to. Just some weird-ass stuff to cap off a weird-ass movie.
In the end this is a movie of raw emotion and psychological torment, and a very well done one. The performances really are something to behold...and the style has a way of getting under your skin, of disorienting you. Maybe the ending doesn't quite make sense, and in the end we wonder what the hell happened, but the events themselves are such a mindscrew that I don't think it matters so much.
Final Rating: Three and a Half Stars.
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