The Horror Show
Terrortory
by Dan Doran, Kevin Kangas, Mark Wengerr
If I had my way, every year would mean another 3-4 thousand anthology horror films being released. I simply can't get enough of them. I've seen a lot of good, a few bad ones, and everything in between. I was fortunate enough to discover a recent addition to this proud tradition entitled Terrortory. I hit “play” with enthusiasm and settled in to another entry in one of my favorite subgneres.
Terrortory opens with a young couple on vacation. Their child is sleeping upstairs and they're about to settle in with a few movies. However, the power goes out and what better way to pass the time than telling some local legends? While the man regales the woman with stories, it becomes clear that the young couple is not alone. There is someone in a mask stalking them. This is the frame story and while not the most inventive of all time, it serves its purpose.
The first story deals with a man who is going hunting. While out and about in the forest he comes across a mysterious woman and soon finds that he may be the odd man out. This story was a good introduction story. It's short and sweet and has a few interesting moments here and there.
After checking back in with the frame story couple, we're then taken to the second segment featuring a group of filmmakers making a slasher movie in the woods. They soon find themselves dealing with their subject matter firsthand. It was at this time that I realized this was a themed anthology film and the title was a reference to such. Sure enough, all the stories feature characters in the woods. The second story has some good moments, but essentially dissolves into a standard slasher flick. It's not bad at all, but not overly memorable.
The next story is essentially another slasher type of deal. A young couple in the woods come face to face with a local legend called Smiling Jack. This one was somewhat different from the previous story but I think having two by-the-book slasher segments right after one another was maybe not the best decision. If the film had thrown another type of horror segment between them it may have let the respective story's unique elements pop more, but instead they blend together pretty easily.
The next was definitely a favorite of mine. It features a few friends hiking in the woods who are under attack by a series of dart-shooting, murderous drones. This is the type of story I wish the rest were more like. It was an interesting concept that I wouldn't have thought up and kept me guessing until the end.
The final segment is about another group of filmmakers making a movie in the woods. They are making the project “found footage” style and so this is how the entry plays out. The cast and crew soon find themselves at odds with a local legend of a sinister clown. I liked this story but it was the one time that I felt the cheesy acting and writing didn't benefit a story. Up until this point, I liked how Terrortory felt campy and silly most of the time. This last entry, however, seemed like it had the intention of being creepy and effective in a more serious right. So instead, the combination of good idea and hokey execution turns into a half way decent effort that would have been better served being its own project.
The wrap up of the frame story was surprising to me, but in a good way. It goes from legitimately unsettling to refreshingly light in a way that I won't spoil. It worked for me and while certainly not every film needs to end the way it did, I'm glad this one went in that direction.
All in all, I enjoyed the film quite a bit, I just think there were a few examples of missed opportunity. While there were some twists and turns here and there I feel that the creators could have stretched their imagination a little more than they did. This isn't a film like ABCs of Death or All Hallows' Eve 2 where there is a large amount of stories going on. We're talking about a tight handful of tales and a frame story. I get that all the stories have to take place in the woods, but that's far from the only repetition. Local slasher legends coming to life and groups of people making a movie is far from the only things you can do with the “in the woods” concept, so when these things pop up multiple times, it just feels lazy.
With that being said, I did like the movie. While I think there could be more diverse things to use the forest for, I was never bored with any of it. There is certainly an endearing quality to the movie that makes it hard for me to criticize any element of it too harshly. It seems to be having a lot of fun with itself and so I was able have fun with it too. After all, anthology films are the funnest of the fun, and that's really the only major requirement.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
The Horror Show Menu.