Outpost

Outpost is one of those films where the trailer is better than the film. It looks like a promising thriller but never really gets off the ground. A domestic violence victim takes a job as a fire watcher in an observation tower in a remote forest location in Idaho. She is (rightly) suspicious of the few men she encounters and her PTSD is blurring the line between reality and nightmare. It looks like the setup for a brave isolated standoff against an assailant but instead it tries to introduce supernatural elements that don't really gel, and, worst of all, revictimises the character by making her the villain of the piece. Writer and director, Joe Lo Truglio (Charles Boyle in Brooklyn Nine-Nine) doesn't manage successfully to tie together the narrative threads of this patchy first effort.

I'm a little perplexed by the poor reviews. I thought this was such a fun and interesting watch. Perfectly cast, and leaves you wondering what's real and what's not the whole movie. It has a lot of psychological horror to it. The setting is different, but in a very good way...the location is really one of the bigger characters in the whole movie. The lean cast and non-complicated setting makes for a movie with great pacing that movies along quickly (which I wish a lot more movies nowadays would try to do). Would be super interested in another Joe Lo Truglio horror/psychological horror project.

Outpost was not what I was expecting, I had put off watching it for a while but was certainly pleased that I finally sat down to view it. The story is about a woman who has been abused mostly all her life, in adulthood she has a restraining order against her ex partner who is abusive and he breaks the order and attacks her. She survives physically, but mentally she is not coping at all. Seeking a way out, she takes a volunteer job at a fire tower organized through her best friend's brother. What ensues then is the slow decay of her character mentally, as she battles with the seclusion and her trauma memories. It has a nice twist that rounds off the movie perfectly. I don't want to give any spoilers in that regard. I enjoyed watching it. Give it a go.

I really liked this picture. It was filmed at a beautiful location, the cast was awesome...solid through and through. They all LOOKED great on film and obviously very experienced. I was fascinated by the device that she used to get the actual locations of fires when and if they arose. The lady, Kate...played by Beth Dover...was a really good main character. The first few people that she had interaction with all seemed normal and fairly sane. LOL Until we meet Bertha...played by Becky Ann Baker. I KNEW from like the second time that we meet her, that something was rotten in Denmark. This is where things start to get fishy as well. This picture turns into a deep thesis in mental illness!! As always, I don't want to give away any of the juicy details...suffice to say that Kate got released from the mental hospital waaaayyyy too early!! Go and buy this one as you will need to watch it plenty more than once!! I gave it a ten of ten for all the crazy wrong turns at the end. You'll LOVE it!! As always, Thanks and ENJOY!!!

I gave this film a chance purely because it was written and directed by Joe Lo Trulio, who I like from Brooklyn 99. On the hole, I suspect that if were not, it would not exist. That is to say, if the average person wrote this, it probably would still be in a word document on someones laptop. As Kate (the lead character) suffers from flashbacks and hallucinations from a harrowing past, we come to understand her plight. But we're asked to believe that she would seek solitude in a fire watch tower located somewhere in the middle of a mountain range in Idaho by means of escape. I dont think its a spoiler to say that they dont. The synopsis of the movie would have you believe that something darker is going to manifest, but really.. it does not. The location itself was probably the best bit. It made for some great tree and mountain *. On the one hand some of the photography (or videography) was fantastic, with some great shots and points of view (mostly of mother nature), it was dragged down by periods of hand held shakey cam with really poor directive choices (mostly of people and action sequences). They gave me an actual physical headache. While the concepts of abuse, made for a good basis for a story the use of the ideas to drive the narrative just didn't feel cohesive. So for the most part I wasnt sure what I was watching and came very close to quitting before the end. And so, despite the disconnect, the last part of the film was okay (nearing good) and ultimately worth the watch if you can make it past the beginning.

This is the second film titled Outpost I'm watching today, and it's safe to say I found this one less enjoyable. 2022 was indeed the year of trauma response protagonists, and here's one more to add to that list. The film's one-liner had enough potential to lure the horror buff in me to watch this, and it did keep my interest levels up during the entirety of the first act. There are things we know (or do not know) about the protagonist, and the frequent intercuts of her abusive ex definitely put some points across. Yet, Kate (an earnest Beth Dover) comes across as a protagonist we can never completely get behind, and her reactions to the new surroundings (and people) scaring her only leave you further confounded. It soon reaches a point where you can trust nothing she sees, hears, or imbibes. Now, the first act did remind me of this great PC game I played back in 2016 called Firewatch, and the locales, including the watchtower and its isolated (sometimes gory) environs hold your attention, at least initially. But then, the film decides not to go the "natural hazard" route and instead, dives deeper into the twisted mind of its protagonist. As such, we get an unhinged and somewhat punchy final act with a twist that explains certain developments, though the film doesn't feel complete. It just flips the switch, offers the complete grindhouse package, and randomly concludes when the boat still hasn't sailed ashore.

Found this on Prime and hope it gets onto something like Shudder. Definitely better than the 4.6 on imbd, tho Im biased because I love these kinds of psychological horror flicks. Movies like The shining and The thing deal with similar themes of isolation but don't expect anything as bombastic as those, this reminded more of 90s films like Jacobs Ladder. Has a Great outdoor setting and some nice dialogue about nature. I liked the lead and felt her struggle. Ive never seen this actress in anything else so cant say if this kind of role is something new to her. I also really liked the odd supporting characters. As far as 90 min horror/thrillers go this is a fun way to spend an evening. Unfortunately I think the 90min format doesnt work for most viewers today even though I find it to be superior. Get in tell your story efficiently and get out.

Beth Dover gives a brave performance as the troubled, abused Kate who goes for a rest by working as a ' fire scout' living in a tower in the wilds of Idaho- its a decent set up to a woman slowly going mad. What let's it down is the script doesn't give Kate much development to make her want to go on a killing spree in the final act ; I could understand that after years of abuse by her Uncle and her boyfriend she would snap but here it's rather unconvincing- not helped that the audience can tell that the character ' Bertha' is clearly not real. Every time something unnerving happens I could tell Kate was dreaming, this went on too many times. It's a interesting set up that needed a couple of script rewrites.

Filled with completely unnecessary lingering close-up shots of maggots and insects wriggling around on corpses and food. It absolutely ruined the movie for me. Which is very unfortunate because I was really drawn into the premise of the film. The characters seemed interesting. The setting felt different and unique. But the damn BUGS just RUINED it. If there was an edit that removed all those disgusting and unnecessary scenes, that would be awesome. Seriously it's very misleading and should come with a trigger warning or something. Now if you'll excuse me, I feel like I have to go throw up now.

No pun intended. But seriously. If you want a gore fest and lots of over the top drama, look elsewhere. If you want to watch something about trauma, horror, psychological messed up that we can be, discovery, curiosity, the human psyche, and loss, then you got it. Just go for it. Don't expect some over the top horror experience. But if you are looking for something that is a slower burn, to leave you curious as you watch, good actors, and beautiful cinematography then you got it. This movie isn't a regular horror flick, but hits in the feelings of psychological curiosity and messed-up-ness. Just watch it.