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A group of investigators follows a path where an entire New Hampshire village disappeared in 1940 in the psychological horror film “Yellowbrickroad.” |
We’re only two films into AMC Theaters’ exclusive summer horror movie series “Bloody Disgusting Selects,” and I must admit, I’m impressed.
Between last month’s Armageddon plague drama “Rammbock” and this month’s psychological brain twister “Yellowbrickroad,” the series has avoided the expected slate of mindless splatter films in favor of solid genre offerings.
Bloody violence does appear, but it comes in unexpected moments where the suggestion of what’s happening packs more shock value than lingering shots of graphic carnage.
“Yellowbrickroad” was directed by Andy Mitton and Jesse Holland, reportedly as a throwback to the character-driven horror films of the 1970s.
In 1940, the citizens of a tiny New Hampshire hamlet called Friar all decide to go on a walk into the woods. Most of them never return.
To find out what happened — and to have something to write a book about — Teddy Barnes (Michael Laurino) assembles a team of investigators to retrace the steps of the ill-fated villagers.
Local residents of Friar refuse to give Barnes any information. They won’t even steer him to the beginning of the mysterious trail taken by the missing townspeople. Barnes figures the trail starts where the local Rialto movie theater sits. How can that be?
Finally, a movie usher agrees to take the investigators to the start — marked as “yellowbrickroad” — if they agree to take her along. (Read more…)