High Desert Kill

Moviecut—High Desert Kill

Ah the 80's, its the decade that just keeps giving. In this case, late 80's. This is definitely a weird one and a good one. The horror element is subtle, its a kind of omni-present and foreboding kind of horror. It does not take long until the weird stuff starts happening which is something I appreciate with these sorts of movies. Mark Singer plays Brad Mueller a bench pressing city slicker who loves to get out in the rough and do some hunting with his buds. Chuck Conners plays Stan Brown a weather beaten old timer who gets around with a pair of saddle horses. When the lot of them meet up things get strange real fast. There is a bit of psychology going on in this movie as well as mystery. The unraveling speed of the story/plot happens at a nice constant pace which keeps one watching. This is definitely a weird horror which has what you might call surreal moments. Worth seeing if you like the 80's horror and and the strange stuff. Definitely a tenner in my books.

Four men, two girls, two days on set, one camera, one location, no director, no script. And tequila. Lots of tequila. Four guys go out into the desert ostensibly to hunt. They promptly lose their horses. They encounter two girls who are camping. Initially rebuffed, the guys are thrilled when the girls become possessed or something and spend a wild night with them. The next morning the girls are gone and the guys quite reasonably conclude the girls "have disappeared". It's all uphill from there. This is a so bad it's good movie. The unintentional laughs come fast and furious. Initially I felt bad laughing at an aging Chuck Conners, but then I realized he must have been laughing himself as they filmed this. Eight stars.

Compared to a lot of the Horror movies today, many may find this story rather slow and feel that 'not a lot happens' But, for me personally, this is one of my favourite kinds of older Horror/Sci Fi films. I've always had a real soft spot in my heart for this particular one, so I may favour it more than most (I personally would have given it an '8', but I think people on average would probably not like it quite as much as I do, so I just gave it a '7' : ) The absolute standout in this movie is that it is ***ALL*** about Atmosphere and Mood. I thought the soundtrack was very effective too and adds a lot to the feel of the film. Also, I feel another thing that makes this movie appealing is the strong Mystery factor. I mean, even from the beginning you're wondering, 'What the hell is going on!' I like the way it starts with the ancient Native American village and that really sets the tone for the entire story. The acting is nothing to get too worked up about, although good ol' Chuck Conners does a nice job with his role. The rest are okay, they get the job done, but no Oscars will be forthcoming, especially since it was made in 1989 :D I really liked the increasing sense of Mystery and dread. Along with the people the audience gets the tension ratcheted up little by little as they begin to question their own perceptions and even they own sanity. There is not really very much in the way of special effects or anything super visual, it is really old-school that way. I also particularly like movies where they play with your sense of reality (and in this case the reality of the characters) where you are not quite sure as to what is real and what isn't. To me that adds an extra layer of suspense. Actually, the reason why I say this is a 'Throwback' is because even though it is made in 1989, it still is strongly reminiscent of many of the Telefilms made around 1973 or thereabouts. And, this is most definitely a Telefilm. You can tell by the 4x3 framing (full screen) and the obvious breaks for commercials. So, as you likely know, it is VERY tough to make a truly effective Horror Telefilm, especially back at that time, with the limitations that come with television. Thus the reason I feel strongly that this movie is made very well and is quite effective for a Horror telefilm. In mood and atmosphere it kind of reminds me of another very effective and scary telefilm made in 1973 starring the great Eli Wallach and Robert Culp called 'A COLD NIGHT'S DEATH' Another outstanding example of the use of mood, atmosphere, and sound design to build to a pretty effective Horror movie - in that movie's case, it is more psychological, a tad more scary, and a bit better made, and of course with A-List actors. So, I would say, don't go into this movie expecting a lot of action or effects or intense violence that is indicative of many of the Horror films today. But, like I mention in my title above, this is a nice old-fashioned throwback with I feel excellent atmosphere and mood, and just a little touch of Science Fiction. If you appreciate older, slower building films like this, then you might enjoy this one.

Three guys (2 buddies and the nephew of their dead friend) go on a hunting trip that happens every year. They meet up with always good Chuck Connors who plays expert hunter Stan Brown. He tells them there is no game anywhere, but the three brush it off and go off on their hunting expedition anyway. But once the hot female campers disappear and they catch themselves eating some raw bear it's time to hit the road Jack, but they find out it's not that easy. Now, there really is some mystery shrouding the story, some good music throughout and Chuck Connors is good and not wasted. Yet the execution on the story needed to be reworked I thought in order for this to hit the mark. The final act works best, but the opening act is bad. As well there is this evil or bad guy P.O.V. while the characters are sleeping that is down right cheesy and not scary at all. It gets old real fast, but they keep going to it during the movie. Also starring Marc Singer. I did wonder when watching this movie though how many days were they planning to go without a change of clothes? Did they not bring any with them? Close, but not close enough 5/10

Marc Singer ("V" & "THE BEASTMASTER") and Chuck Connors ("FLIPPER" & "SOYLENT GREEN") in a campfire orgy of primal machismo and lustful desires? And no I hate to break it to you, nothing happens between the two. Even though there are plenty of glistening shirtless moments. And no, Connors doesn't go that far either. I know the disappointment. But no question, this is just one of a few strange developments making its way into the psychotronic made-for-TV feature "HIGH DESERT KILL". Two friends along with their recently deceased friend's nephew head out on a yearly annual bonding hunting trip in the desert. At the camping site they come across another grizzled old hunter who informs them that something has spooked away the wildlife. They decide to stick it out anyway, but in doing so they unknowingly fall under the influence of some unknown force that uses the appearance of their dead friend/uncle. It's a fairly forgotten little b-film that doesn't deserve to be a hidden away. Since it's something a little different to the norm. Sure the genre hybrid-of-sorts plot is beyond dubious nevertheless this no-frills desert mystery remains quite fascinating in its psychological and manipulative make-up. Think along the lines of a "TWILIGHT ZONE" narrative, where the perplexity leads to something much more going on. The danger and weirdness slowly grows from the anxious build-up, as the unknown force watches and coordinates through looming POV shots. And when it does come to its symbolic reveal, to some extent it's ingenious and silly rolled into one. Where it might lack the depth in its reasoning. On the other hand you might find yourself laughing at the confrontational climax, but at least the final seconds does end on a haunting, if ambiguous note. As for the acting, it's a bit of an up and down affair with Anthony Geary ("NIGHTLIFE" & "PASS THE AMMO") and Micah Grant ("WAXWORK" & "TO DIE FOR") in the leads. Still the interactions between the characters have believability and their sudden in-and-out behavioral transformations of uncontrollable instincts brought upon by this alien force are amusingly presented. The sketchy script with some beguiling dialogues ("Open you up like a sack of manure!") is part of that. On what was most effective is the use of eerie sound effects or simply a lack of it. It goes hand-to-hand in creating unease from the forlorn New Mexico desert. Even if the acting wasn't the greatest, I thought the cast do sell the strangely unsettling nature of the situation. TV director Harry Falk's tight handling in due to limited resources, but the back-to-basic structure works to its favour. It's worth-a-look.

I first came across this film one night when I was staying at a friend's house after a night out! All 3 of us drunk watched it an loved it!!! Yes it's very cheesy and has bad acting. But very suspenseful! And quite chilling. Also contains one of the funniest dance scenes ever in a movie! It took me years after to get a copy and that was on VHS. Think the full movie is now only YouTube.

This was excellent particularly for a made for TV film and it was quite well written and with an interesting plot about an alien doing experiments on humans which are mostly psychological experiments also one of the main characters Dr. Jim Cole, a scientist who does behavioural experiments on animals I thought was a very interesting touch. Also there was some pretty good acting from the four lead actors Anthony Geary, Marc Singer, Chuck Connors and Micah Grant. I also found it interesting scenes where the Alien manipulates them for the experiments to be very interesting and believable. All in all this is a very entertaining Science Fiction horror with an interesting and some pretty good ideas.

PLOT: Two hunting buddies, and the nephew of a third hunting buddy, who was killed in a freak lightning-storm accident, go to the high desert of New Mexico for big game. The best friend of the dead uncle carries lots of baggage. The third friend is a gym rat/military guy with some interesting quirks. The nephew has his own multidimensional side. They meet a pro hunter and camp together. Then, many freaky things begin to happen. CAST: Anthony Geary is really a terrific actor, and his years on General Hospital and in various odd 1970's and 1980's flicks give him cred here. Marc Singer is just "that guy" and has the chops to pull it off, from the weight-lifting scene to the jarhead attitude. Chuck Connors delves deep into this role of desert rat, and I think pulls off some great moments. WRITING: Some reviews believe the script was partly ad lib. I don't think so. It looks fairly carefully-crafted. OK, there are a few ideas that left me flat, such as when the desert rat makes a stone grave, as if bodies don't have to brought back to civilization for proper burial, etc. But this film is a series of set-pieces that work, from the initial confrontation with the female campers, to the campfire "orgy", to eating a bear, to final delivery of the strange power. MUSIC: The Native American soundtrack is both authentic and spooky, and is a treat. Many films, especially made-for-TV, skimp on soundtrack, but not this time. It added. FLOW: The scenes don't last long, and they are like vignettes, which makes sense when you get to the punchline here. Therefore, you won't be bored. There are good philosophical lines, and laughable ones. There are intense scenes, and ridiculous ones. But it starts strong, keeps going forward, and the ending doesn't let you down. I give it 9/10.

This is one wild movie. It just goes to prove that there is still a lot of overlooked great sci-fi yet to been seen. The less you know of the plot, the better. Unfortunately, the video box art and synopsis give away the shock ending. Shame on the marketing department! I could've also done without the opening Indian scene. The acting runs the range from top notch to over-the-top ridiculous, which in my book, works for me. Chuck Conners delivers all the great one-liners in the movie. Marc Singer steals just about every scene with his whacked-out performance. And Anthony Geary holds the whole thing together. There are some unintentional laughs to be had to be sure, which again, in my book works. The story is cool and the symbolism is excellent- especially the very ending. This one definitely falls under the "psychotronic" category. I'd recommend this with a double feature of Project Nightmare, which is also in a similar vein and worth seeing.