The headline story for my monthly news roundup for September was the indie horror film Macabre Mountain. Directed by Anthony David, and with writing credits from Jake Ryan Baker, Xander Goldman, and Gregory Lamberson, this was a film that started off really well. I didn't even mind the long build up to the main event of the movie, but when that did arrive, my excitement turned somewhat to frustration with how bloodless the majority of this was.
Decades in the past, a cult leader was killed by FBI agent Robert G. Browning (Goldman) at the site of a haunted house attraction named Macabre Mountain, due to him and his followers kidnapping eleven young people and hunting them for sport. Now, a businessman has purchased the attraction with the intention to re-open it for one night only. This has brought a variety of people to the small mountain side town near where the attraction is based, including horror podcasters Monica (Kamarra Cole - Wolf Hollow) and Shelby (Ashley Rae), as well as Scream Queen, Lisa (Felissa Rose - Craving, Sleepaway Camp). Unknown to the visitors however, is that the new owner intends to recreate the cult's murderous game of sport, having brought in some rich clients who have paid to be part of the deadly attraction. It is up to Browning, now washed out and aimless (but strangely not looking to have aged a day since the cult leader killing), to once again put a stop to the hunt.
After a neat prologue that cleverly pulls an effective bait and switch, while also showing Browning stopping the cult leader, the film steps back a bit, with a long lead up to the meat of the movie, that begins in earnest with half an hour of the eighty two minute left to go. There is a bodycount even during this lengthy middle section, but all the kills take place just off screen so there is nothing really to see. I didn't mind this decision, as I was sure when the horror truly begins there would be plenty more bloody deaths to match a neat throat slice kill in the prologue. The characters that are introduced get a fair bit of screen time, though they aren't exactly full of development, other than Browning, who still holds himself responsible for the death of a girl he could have prevented if he hadn't hesitated in killing the cult leader all those years back. I thought it was a fun idea to have some of the cult members from that prologue still hanging around in town, their identities never having been revealed. These include a mountain of a man, played by Robert Allen Mukes (Bone Tomahawk, House of 1000 Corpses), who I couldn't help thinking would be the perfect casting choice for the role of Karl Heisenberg, should they ever make a film adaptation of horror video game Resident Evil: Village, as he looked the spitting image of that character here.
When the hunting contest began I was ready for a literal bloody good time, that idea is always fun in horror films, such as with Rob Zombie's 31. However, this whole essential part of the movie felt very rushed. Within around ten minutes the rich hunters have completely fallen apart into a mess of in-fighting and incompetence, and the kill scenes remained frustratingly tame, with every victim outside of gunshot kills either getting killed ever so slightly off camera or with zero blood effects. The awesome looking throat slitting from the start of the film gave a false impression of the effects to come, I assume that being an indie film it was felt it was cheaper to infer the kills rather than actually show them on screen. Also, the cool corn field from earlier in the film is exchanged with what appears to be a scrap yard, and some open fields.
The story is fun in a dumb don't think about it too hard fashion, but it is full of holes, not restricted to the antagonists ill conceived hunting contest that would incriminate them immediately due to how poorly it is planned, as well as one of the victims being hunted suddenly appearing back in town, despite it having been established that they are around five miles away a few scenes previously. There is also the weird editing in of scenes of people getting killed by masked hunters at random points, with it not established just when those random kill scenes actually took place. I think all those moments were relatively present day, rather than back during the cult killings, but it is never made clear. It leads up to a surprise twist which has been done to death before. On the plus size, it is worth sticking around for the end credits as they feature not only a mid-credits scene, but an entertaining after credits scene which breaks the fourth wall to wonderful effect.
The story is fun in a dumb don't think about it too hard fashion, but it is full of holes, not restricted to the antagonists ill conceived hunting contest that would incriminate them immediately due to how poorly it is planned, as well as one of the victims being hunted suddenly appearing back in town, despite it having been established that they are around five miles away a few scenes previously. There is also the weird editing in of scenes of people getting killed by masked hunters at random points, with it not established just when those random kill scenes actually took place. I think all those moments were relatively present day, rather than back during the cult killings, but it is never made clear. It leads up to a surprise twist which has been done to death before. On the plus size, it is worth sticking around for the end credits as they feature not only a mid-credits scene, but an entertaining after credits scene which breaks the fourth wall to wonderful effect.
I did enjoy Macabre Mountain, but a lot of that was due to anticipation for what was to come. I have zero issue with the long lead up to the horror properly starting, or the brain dead storyline and wafer thin characters. As is probably obvious, my issues come from how bloodless this turned out to be. If even a few of the many non-gun related death scenes had taken place on screen rather than off, then this would have fared much better. As it was though, I was left wanting more than what was given, and couldn't help feeling disappointed.
SCORE:
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