One morning in 1940, the entire population of Friar, New Hampshire, walked north up an unmarked trail into the wilderness.
Some were later found frozen to death. Others were mysteriously slaughtered. Most, however, were never found.
In 2008, the coordinates for the trail were declassified; and the first expedition into the wilderness attempts to solve the mystery of the lost citizens of Friar.
Then, in 2011, I watch this movie…and have no fucking idea what I just viewed.
But, don’t worry – this isn’t a bad thing, I promise! Yellowbrick Road is a breath of fresh air into the horror genre. While the concept is somewhat similar to The Blair Witch Project, it is completely original once the team enters the woods and it keeps you captivated the whole time. During the hour and 38 minute movie, there is very little blood and gore – and I mean very little. There aren’t any cheap scares like someone popping out of no where or the loud noise when its dead quiet. So, then what is left that would make Yellowbrick Road passable as a horror film? Fear. Isolation. The unknown. Yellowbrick Road not only psychologically messes with the characters in itself, but it also psychologically messes with you.
We all have primal instincts and fears that we are either conscious or unknown to us. Fear is one of the biggest motivators or oppressors in a human being. One of our greatest fears as humans, and biologically as animal like in nature, is isolation. Why do you think inmates are put in solitary confinement as punishment when in prison? How would you feel if you became isolated from civilization, whether by yourself or with others, when you were 60+ miles into the woods? We, as humans, also have the fear of the unknown. This was almost demonstrated abstractly in The Blair Witch Project. We know something is there, but we don’t know what. Even with the original Halloween; we knew he was there, but didn’t actually see Michael Myers as Michael Myers until the back-end of the film.
And this is where the film gets tricky. It contains all elements of a horror film yet none of them at all. You have slight slasher film moments. You have large supernatural overtones. You have self-mutilation and suicide. Aliens! Maybe even aliens! I tried to think of possible reasons as to what was happening to the Friar citizens in 1940 and the current group of explorers. Aliens? Ghosts? Time travel? Portal to Hell? Alternate reality? After finishing the film completely, I’m pretty sure one of my ideas about the antagonist in Yellowbrick Road is correct. However, this is truly one of the only horror film’s that I’ve seen where the viewer doesn’t know what exactly is “attacking” the group of truth seekers. Again, this all leads back to the fear of the unknown. Where is the constant music coming from? How did the one body get moved and strung up like a scarecrow? What is doing this?
Production-wise, I have no complaints. The acting is great. The script is great. The crew did a great job. I actually commend them for portraying constant music on film without actually playing 1940s music literally throughout the whole film. Yellowbrick Road is very creative psychologically, as a production, and as a horror film. The only thing I can really say that is a negative is that you never get the answers that you desire. You get drawn into the characters; drawn into the mystery; drawn into the film as a whole – and then you’re left hanging. I usually applaud open-ended films for giving audiences the chance to think and imagine things for themselves, but with Yellowbrick Road, I really want to know from Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton what the Hell I just watched!?
I found Yellowbrick Road on Amazon Instant Video and was able to rent it for two days for only $2.99. I highly recommend Yellowbrick Road to horror fans, especially those who love psychological thrillers. I can’t sing this film’s praises enough. I would definitely put this film in my top 2 horror films of 2011 so far.
I liked this film a lot and feel one of its strengths is there was no explanation.