There’s a reason the woods are scary…
Yeah, a lot of bad things can go down in the woods: poison ivy, bears, inclement weather. Or if you’re a horror fan it gets a lot worse: witches, deranged camp counselors, aliens. I think people need to avoid the deep forests of America a little bit more, especially if they want to live, but then we wouldn’t have a fan favorite horror subgenre of “people go in the woods, people die.” And we also wouldn’t have a new movie titled Beacon Point which is premiering tonight at the Dances with Films festival in West Hollywood, California.
Beacon Point is written, directed and produced by Eric Blue with co-writer Traci Carroll. Cast members include Rae Oliver (House of Good and Evil), Jon Briddell (11/11/11, Midnight Movie), Jason Burkey (“Being Mary Jane”), Randall Taylor (Robocop 3), Jayson Warner Smith (“The Vampire Diaries”), Eric Goins, RJ Shearer and Takara Clark. The film follows “a group of hikers on the Appalachian Trail who become lost and stumble across an ancient secret that threatens their survival.”
First of all, if I was a part of the group heading into the wilderness I’d need a little more reassurance of my safety than the tour guide, played by Jon Briddell, had to offer. From the beginning he seems flighty, unsure and all around not the type of person you’d want leading you on a ten day hike through thick woods with no cell phone reception or electricity. You won’t be too surprised when the group becomes lost and thrust into danger when you see the man who’s supposed to be leading them. Nope, nope, nope. Would not have been me! And, who goes on a ten day hike, anyway? You really must like hiking to put up with that. I like hiking, but I don’t even think I’d sign up for a ten day tour.
Not that there’s a whole lot of downsides to being in nature. To me, any horror film that takes place in the woods always has a very subtle primitive vibe to me, like humanity is going back to its roots by becoming one with nature. I think a little bit of that feeling is on display in Beacon Point, too. I’m glad that the tour group went hiking instead of staying in a cabin because that added an extra layer of danger and suspense to the movie and will ultimately set it apart from other titles in its category. Now this is a movie about struggle. It’s always funny to look at people in scary movies and think, “why aren’t they more aware of their surroundings?” In this movie, they keep finding strange things in the woods – like animals with their eyes torn out – and, Hell, even a dead body from a “bear attack,” yet no one seems apprehensive about continuing. Hmmm…
While noting differences from other “people go in the woods, people die” movies, Beacon Point is also a completely different beast because of the film’s antagonist. I won’t share spoilers in my review, but I will say it’s not aliens, it’s not ghosts and it’s not a serial killer. Judging from the promo poster and the trailer, I think you have a pretty good idea of what dark forces are following the group along the Appalachian Trail. This is, honestly, one of the reasons to watch Beacon Point – the mystery as to what is lurking just beyond their subconscious peripherals. When the shit hits the fan, it’s almost frustrating that the remaining hikers take the Blair Witch approach, stop here and there to rest and sleep. Noooooo! Just keep going! Get out of there! The lack of realism made me have a lack of empathy for the hikers. So, yeah, dark forces… Go ahead and kill them.
From a production standpoint, Beacon Point has a lot of give and take. The biggest reason to watch this title is because of the beautiful, world class cinematography from Jim McKinney. Jim and everyone else working the camera department really pulled out all the stops to make the shots, crisp, clear and worth while, making Beacon Point a contender for best cinematography awards should it ever go to film festivals. The real life, leaves and dirt locations were truly brought to life here in a professional way that will make the viewer say wow. And, the locations were probably free, too! Couldn’t go wrong here! And let me not forget to mention an amazing aerial shot that could end up in a text book somewhere to show independent filmmakers how it’s done! At the same time, Beacon Point isn’t as action filled as I thought it would be and the beginning started out gory enough, but never recuperated.
Mysterious, suspenseful and impeccably produced, Beacon Point is no easy walk in the park! The worst hike through the woods you’d ever want to take with devastating consequences. Also, not what you’d expect! Shocking! Final Score: 7 out of 10.
