Backcountry (2014)
A couple, Alex and Jenn (Jeff Roop and Missy Peregrym) take a hiking trail to a picturesque lake in the forests of Ontario. This being a horror film they naturally end up lost and fall prey to a savage Black Bear.
Released on UK dvd as Blackfoot Trail, this is a very well shot and produced Canadian survival horror. The bear attacks are scary and intense and wonderfully shot with plentiful realism in their blood shedding, in fact as good as any i've ever seen with the build up to it taking place during the movies first hour.
Obviously when a film such as this is pretty much a two hander the actors need to be competent and thankfully Peregrym and Roop are natural and believable and work well together in fact you'd believe they were a couple, their chatter being so well, normal.
There's an edgy interlude one night as Alex returns from collecting fire wood to find Jenn cosily chatting to a stranger (Eric Balfour) which incites Alex bringing no shortage of nervousness to what is a lengthy scene based on Alex's stereotypical views on anyone he doesn't know out in the woods at night, basically the same as most of us i'd expect that this person was a danger and a threat. It goes without saying that this sequence is pivotal and provides a wry twist (it doesn't go where you'd expect) to the final scene.
Although i've seen this dvd before it was a long time ago and i remembered nothing about it so it was like discovering a new and hugely enjoyable backwoods survival horror for me.
This was an impressive debut from director Adam MacDonald. Recommended.
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