Dark Mountain (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

I was scrolling through Tubi Tv's horror movies when I came across this one. I am usually pretty uncertain about whether I want to check something out, especially when there is so many choices. It literally can take me two hours of just looking through everything and typically by the end of that, I am not even in the mood to catch a flick anymore. However, last night I just clicked play on it with hardly any thought given to it, within just a couple of minutes of looking. Maybe I caught a bug or possibly just a wee bit on the lazy side, I don't know or care at this point. haha

Anyways, the movie has some truly breathtaking cinematography that was shot in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. I loved the documentary feeling that it started with in the beginning, with interviews of some of the locals concerning the Lost Dutchmen Mine and the legends, myths, and such of the area. The soundtrack was also great! The psychedelic, primal, and Doors(ish) vibe all worked so well to set up the atmosphere of the film.

I have to admit, I am just not usually into the "Lost Footage" type movies. I did enjoy THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and viewed it as a groundbreaking horror film. Some other ones I didn't mind too much are as follows... REC, Paranormal Activity, and.... Well this one now. Although I feel the movie lacked in creativity and was mostly just following the script of Blair Witch, just within a desert setting, I did definitely like this movie. Why? Well, the scenery for one, the soundtrack for another. Those two elements really made me far less harsh on this. If it weren't for those elements, then I would definitely say this was just a clone of Blair Witch with nothing of note to distinguish it or to add to the genre that was worth experiencing. Some of the other strong points were the acting was not too bad and length of the movie was not too long!

Personally, I just do not hold horror movies up to the same standards as I might a Drama or some other genre. I do not expect a horror movie to be Oscar material for it to be entertaining or even beloved. Halloween (1978) is a beloved and classic horror and yet, as far as the mainstream movie critic is concerned, not even close to being Oscar worthy. Does that matter to us Horror fans? Not in the slightest. Some of the crappiest horror films ever made can still draw a cult following. To some of us, it is good to be bad. Point is that this movie is definitely not the next Halloween, or even close to being an award winning masterpiece. It is just what it is. A fun film with some genuinely scary moments, great soundtrack, and beautiful scenery. I would definitely say, "Go For It!"... Just don't expect some truly original horror and enjoy it for what it is. ;) Lost Footage horror films are pretty tired, for sure. But I do think there is enough here to make it worthy of a watch.

RATING: 5.5 out of 10 Stars

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