Review of Backcountry (2015) by Drauchdoes2015 — 15 Apr 2015

First-time director Adam McDonald places his survival horror in the unforgiving, picturesque backwoods, a setting that finds him, intentionally or not, channeling Deliverance, as well as low-budget nature-set-scream flicks like The Blair Witch Project and last year's passable Willow Creek. For the most part, Backcountry shares an almost identical setup (and execution) with the latter: both films feature a bickering couple who camp out in the woods with the man intent on proposing to the woman, both ration the actual horror itself until the final act nearly an hour in, and both have a furry, hulking antagonist lurking just outside their tent.

Where Willow Creek had an unrelenting tension drawn out to maximum effect that made up for it's aimless first hour, Backcountry's final act is punctuated by one of the grisliest (pardon the pun) animal attacks I've ever seen depicted in film, then descends into the same watered down, atmospheric execution that hindered the first two-thirds of the movie. In the final stretch, where the stakes should be accented accordingly, McDonald instead opts for numerous slow-motion takes and soothing ambient music, making for a sedated, drawn-out cat-and-mouse chase that resolves predictably.

The acting across the board is fine by horror-movie standards, though NOTHING to report home on. The performance of Eric Balfour is a standout in the first act, when the film attempts at a Stray Dogs man vs. man conflict, only to flip the switch to man vs. nature. It would have been a mildly surprising turn, had I not been given the heavy implication of the survival elements of the story by the film's poster, which features our villain bear roaring at our heroine, straddling the rocks on the edge of a waterfall. If that isn't hint enough that this is a film about a killer bear, I don't know what is. This eliminates the potential for a subversive edge and, once Balfour exits the film some 20ish minutes in, we are left with a dull second act full of unrealistic horror-movie behavior and constant, irritating bickering.

Then again, we do have that bear attack I mentioned earlier. I don't want to underrepresent the brutality of the scene - it's pretty rough. I could even compare it, though this seems a little TOO generous, to Shaw's death in Jaws. The attack goes on for about five minutes and doesn't hold back on the shock-factor that the picture was so desperately lacking beforehand. The immensity, the predatory ruthlessness of the bear is conveyed and then some. I'll say this much: the victim isn't fated well, to say the least. The film has this one noteworthy sequence. That's all I can offer worth recommending, and it's not worth enduring the boredom of the rest of the picture.

Backcountry has a calming, scenic backdrop worth mention, though it isn't filmed with much more artistry than any other woods-set tale. Once the frantic climax approaches, these laconic shots are interrupted by a shaky cinema verite approach that feels amateurish (I swear one scene was filmed with a go-pro), and fails to create it's desired panicked aesthetic.

Overall, Backcountry is a mediocre horror entry, making it one of the more restrained entires in the genre of recent memory, sadly (God, horror movies suck). The characters are unmemorable, the dialogue flows somewhat naturally, there is one takeaway moment filtered through stretches of mind-numbing boredom where there should be tension, and that's about it.