Directed by:
Nic SzostakiwskyjScreenplay:
Nic SzostakiwskyjCinematography:
Cameron TremblayCast:
Shane Twerdun, Andrew Moxham, Cameron Tremblay, Michael Dickson, Bryce McLaughlin, Carl Toftfelt, Marc Anthony WilliamsVOD (2)
Plots(1)
At a site 100 miles from the nearest native reservation, during a Canadian winter, a group of archaeologists have made a startling discovery: The tip of a mysterious, ancient structure, which bears some archaic engravings. The crew, led by Jensen, attempt to decipher it but some mysteries are better left buried. As they delve further into the structure's origins, things at their camp turn strange. Communications fail, local workers suddenly disappear and the men are stricken with a terrible illness. It's not long before they begin to feel the effects of solitude and then things get really bad. (101 Films)
(more)Reviews (2)
Black Mountain Side is certainly no horror game-changer, nor is it a film that would be inducted in the Hall of Fame, but it’s the first genre film of the year that’s worth recommending. The hit is its premise: a group of researchers encountering an ancient evil in an uninhabited area; I love that. In the first half, BMS is a bit too slow, perhaps, and doesn’t bring anything interesting, but after the first (and given the development story thus far, pretty unexpected) gore scene, the atmosphere visibly thickens, everything gets significantly darker and more paranoid, leading to a fairly bizarre and transcendental climax, which I really didn’t expect at the beginning. 7/10, but I’m rounding up because it’s very likeable.
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Despite being a cheap TV version of John Carpenter’s The Thing without the special effects, music and A-movie budget, Black
Mountain Side tries to pass itself off as a psychological drama. The mystery element of the film that finally starts to take
off after a long period of nothing happening is not bad. But the clumsy storytelling and unconvincing acting of its highly
unlikable cast are a deal-breaker.
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