"The Dyatlov Pass Incident" Review | Movie Monday

On February 2, 1959, nine hikers died under mysterious circumstances, in what has come to be known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident. The group, led by Igor Dyatlov, died on the east shoulder of the so-called "Dead Mountain".

Russian officials determined the hikers' tent had been cut open from the inside, and they left their camp barefoot; their bodies were found at varying distances from the tent. No one knows what really happened that night because there were no survivors, but there has been much speculation.

The events of that night have even sparked a recent horror film, The Dyatlov Pass Incident, also known as Devil's Pass. In the movie, five American college students venture to the Dyatlov Pass to film a documentary and see if they can uncover the mystery behind the incident.

This is a found footage film, a medium I've become quite fond of over the past few months, though I know some people can't stand it. I think it really suits the telling of this story.

I liked most of the characters - Holly King (Holly Goss) and Jensen Day (Matt Stokoe from Misfits, yay!) were particularly interesting to me, and I found that I could empathize with them. Holly is an ambitious filmmaker leading her own documentary crew to the Dyatlov Pass to retrace the steps of the hikers from over fifty years earlier. It's pretty obvious that it's a bad idea to make the exact same journey that killed nine people, but you've got to admire her bravery and determination. Jensen is one of her camera men, and he provides a lot of the sensible commentary about their discoveries, as well as some much-needed comic relief.

This film is so suspenseful - as the story unfolds, there are more and more mysteries revealed and it was so interesting to see this take on the unknown events of that night. I enjoyed the whole film, but the last half hour in particular kept me on the edge of my seat, quite literally.

The Dyatlov Pass Incident was a very sad event that has resulted in fascinating theories. This film is an interesting, suspenseful, and terrifying interpretation of what happened that ill-fated night.

Had you heard of the Dyatlov Pass Incident before reading this review?

Photo by Simon via Pixabay in accordance with the Creative Commons Deed CC0.

"The Apparition" Review | Movie Monday

"The Apparition" DVD cover

Four college students attempt to recreate the 1973 "Charles Experiment", where a group of people concentrated on a drawing of a man named Charles Reamer in an attempt to summon his spirit. Using modern technology to magnify the parapsychological study's effects, Patrick (Tom Felton) and his team delve into the dangerous world of the paranormal and they summon more than they bargained for. Now Ben (Sebastian Stan), one of the participants in the study, and his girlfriend Kelly (Ashley Greene) are being haunted by the very thing that was summoned that night.

The beginning of this movie is incredibly awkward - but if you get through the first 15 minutes, you'll probably get through the whole movie. The set-up for the couple's story is so cheesy and unnatural; I think it's a combination of bad writing and directing, which is a shame because I like both Sebastian Stan and Ashley Greene and I know they're better than they seem at the beginning of this film.

The good news is, no part of this film is worse than the first 15 minutes. Once creepy things start happening around the house, the film improves. There was a good build-up of suspense with the mysteriously open doors and nerve-wracking "break-ins" at night.

This movie is pretty creepy if you watch it at night like I did, so if you enjoy being scared, I recommend viewing it in the dark. This is by no means a fantastic horror/thriller movie, but it's entertaining and good for a one-time watch, especially if you're with friends who are easily frightened.