The end of the road wasn’t worth the trip.
YellowBrickRoad (2010)
Directed By: Jesse Holland, and Andy Mitton
The Prologue
So I suppose we should all reference the Wizard of OZ and talk about a newer horror film titled, YellowBrickRoad (and yes, it’s all supposed to be grouped together like that). YellowBrickRoad is one of those Bloody Disgusting select films that I’ve heard about, and I have to say that at times those films quality have been mixed. Sure, you get a few good ones in there like Cold Fish, but then you have stuff that’s a little iffy like this one here. Is it an original idea? For the most part I’d say so, but I think I just like a lot more from my horror films than this one was willing to give the viewers. I first thought that maybe I was just being too picky, but from asking around, apparently I’m not the only person who feels this way.
The Movie
One Morning in New England, 1940, the entire population of Friar New Hampshire – 572 people – walked together up a winding mountain trail and into the wilderness. They left behind their clothes, their money, all of their essentials. Even their dogs were abandoned, tied to posts and left to starve. No One knows why. A search party dispatched by the U.S. Army eventually discovered the remains of nearly 300 of Friar’s evacuees. Many had frozen to death. Others were cruelly and mysteriously slaughtered. The bodies of the remaining citizens are still unaccounted for. Over the years, a quiet cover-up operation managed to weave the story of Friar into the stuff of legends and backwoods fairy tales. The town has slowly repopulated, but the vast wilderness is mostly untracked, with the northern-most stretches off limits to local hunters and loggers. In 2008, the coordinates for the “YELLOWBRICKROAD” trail head were declassified…
Well, I guess you could say that this movie at least tries. As things get rolling with this you can tell from the start what is going to happen, you just don’t know yet how it is going to happen. So, as the characters continue down this long and weird road we are greeted with slowly watching them go all coo coo for coco puffs, accompanied by annoying music that is always playing. This music is a key point in the plot and not just background music for the film, if you are keeping score at home. And as this goes on I’m not sure what annoys me more, the music and the weird sound effects or the badly written characters. Both are about on a “nails on a chalkboard” level of being annoying.
I also had to deal with being pretty bored at times while this thing was going. I’m sure the directors assumed they were building suspense and a story, but they were actually putting anyone watching it into a mild coma. When you realize what is up, you start hoping and waiting for things to get all crazy and bloody. And it’s massively disappointing when you realize the first cool kill is actually the ONLY cool looking kill you are going to get. I would have been very happy had we canned some of the repetitive “atmosphere” stuff, and just got down and dirty with some killing and gore..This movie could have benefited a lot from it.
And this all leaves us with our weird and entirely predictable ending that won’t be leaving anyone who see it that shocked or satisfied. After you’ve seen the opening five minutes you pretty much figure out where it’s going for the end. In one hand you kinda want to give a few props for the effort, but on the other hand you just have to admit that it just doesn’t work well at all. No enough blood, repeats it’s self too much, drags too long, and never really gives us a reward at the end. Not to mention the characters are all very unlikeable and make the watching of the film seem even longer and more annoying. So, with all that being said, nice try..but no..just no.
The Conclusion
Ah, not really my type of film at all. I thought we’d at least get a massacre here when everyone starts flipping their lids, but that never does happen. I know some people like to rely on vibe and arty stuff in order to drive home a story instead of gore, but when it doesn’t work out that well it leave you wanting a lot more than the film is able to give. And this one just doesn’t give you enough to warrant paying it much attention.
The Rating (5/10)
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