Thursday, February 15, 2018

Horror has no Borders

Savageland (2015)

Dir- Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, David Whelan
This pseudo-documentary focuses on a small Arizona border town that is wiped out most brutally with the sole survivor being held responsible for the crime. The events of the evening are played out with interviews from police, attorneys and citizens with diagrams to show the extent of the carnage yet what looks like an open and shut case gets complicated when a camera is found that reveals the accounts of that evening may not be what is being reported. Savageland shares some similarity to a film called Lake Mungo, both are documentary-style crime films that feature a tragic event with the evidence pointing to conclusions you did not expect to see. The investigation of the crime shows how racism will play a huge part in the outcome of the case, but the film does reveal photos taken by the suspect that show blurry images that are as terrifying as they are mysterious. Savegeland is not the usual horror movie fare; this is a crime film that reveals a horrific event in a slow burn style that allows the payoff to be as scary as any found footage horror movie.

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