It was 1:30am and a few friends and myself were winding down from playing games on twitch (shameless plug link) when it came upon us to partake in our post-game ritual, we watch an episode of something funny on Netflix. But destiny had struck. Sprung forth from my speakers was the silly sound of British dialog and the chance to see the grown men get scared by weirdo European hillbillies or supernatural beings, at best both. Basically, this was the perfect 1:30am storm and my gaming brothers and I were caught in its torrent for exactly 1 hour and 34 minutes which turned out to be the perfect horror film movie length. Needless to say, we were soaked and stoked.

Let me just start by saying I rarely come across horror movies that forgo gore and jump-scares in favor of striking, interwoven scenes of dreams and horror. The story begins with a group of men on a night out when things go bad and they lose the one guy in their group that binds them. With one man down, in an effort of remembrance, they take a trip through the mountains of Sweden to honor him when plans change and they have to take a detour through the woods. The film was directed by David Bruckner, a newcomer man with a few good horror titles under his belt including “Amatuer Night” segment of V/H/S and 2007 film The Signal, and with this entry he further defines himself as an adept creator and designer of horror. I was drawn in by Bruckner’s simplicity. The story is free of any excess characterization, and while each character is different, they are simply placeholders for personality types, which allows us to be drawn into the dark atmosphere around them, the linchpin of supernatural concepts. There is also a seamless melding of special effects and the real world settings through good editing and creative use of space. The effects often play on the characters inherent fears, which is used as a tool to bypass lengthy conversations about their pasts or thoughts.

Normally, I don’t think I would have been driven to write about a horror film, especially one without much complexity or mystery, like say The Shinning or Silence Of The Lambs, but it has a fun visual style and fits a bunch of fun into an hour and a half. The pace is the perfect combination of suspenseful and scary, like a good workout with just enough breathing room between each segment to make sure you have the heart attack at the end, instead of somewhere in the middle. Unless you are an accomplished solo horror movie watcher, I’d suggest watching with a friend, not because it’s especially scary, but because I think it’s a great team building exercise, fostering mocking techniques of both the characters and your friends. Either way, settle in, turn off the lights, and hold your bros close, that’s what I did.

~* 7.5/10 *~