YellowBrickRoad (2010)

YellowBrickRoad didn't really appear to be a critic's favorite, but there was something about this movie I really liked.  It's like a strange hybrid of Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows and Lost.  There was just so much creepiness and trapped-in-the-outdoors feeling to this movie and I just really dug it.  The ending was completely awful, but more on that later.

Background: in 1940, the entire town of Friar, New Hampshire just upped and walked away.  Most were determined missing, or found dead along a trail in the mountains outside of town.  Some died of exposure, and others were brutally murdered.  There was one survivor, who provides pretty much no information in a recording where he mumbles creepily. 

Fast-forward 70 some-odd years and a motley crew of smartypants and filmmakers are looking to make a little documentary on the disappearance of the town.  Much like Blair Witch, they run around asking the townspeople questions that no one wants to answer.  Luckily for them, they find a movie theater employee eager to get the hell out of Dodge.  She says she'll lead them to the trail, called the Yellow Brick Road, if they take her with them.

So the whole little group goes traipsing through the woods, taking constant notes, measurements, and the like.  But they are soon to learn that the Yellow Brick Road is not just a trail, and it can't be followed with compasses and maps.  I really liked the pressure and buildup in this movie...the shift in the group dynamics escalated at a good pace, and never got too slow.  There was some gore, and seriously willy-inducing moments, especially the "scarecrow" scene. 

The ending of this movie was absolutely horrendous.  It had a vaguely Shining vibe, but was just overall stupid and made no sense.  I wish they could have wrapped it up better, but overall I enjoyed this flick.

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