Top 5 Terror-Inducing Travelogues
Howard Gorman
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Everyone’s heard their fair share of hair-raising vacation anecdotes, and most of you have probably even experienced them first-hand: blocked up toilets overflowing with weapons-grade “leftovers” from previous hotel guests, dirty lingerie hidden in the bedsheets, and a long list of etceteras…. And whilst the thought of your foot accidentally rubbing against a soiled thong as you slide into silky smooth hotel sheets provokes a bit of a gag reflex, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
Given the recent torrent of holiday-making horrors hitting theaters and homes, Dread’s here to turn your traveling tales into trivial tribulations as we bring you this list of five flicks where dream getaways rapidly turn into hellish nightmares…
In Darkness We Fall (La Cueva) (2014)
Much akin to the cinema verité likes of The Descent or The Blair Witch Project, Alfredo Montero’s In Darkness We Fall (La Cueva) follows five sprightly young holidaymakers as they jet set off to the paradisiacal island of Formentera; video camera in tow.
Whilst the film documents the everyday larking around that any young bunch of tourists gets up to, like skinny-dipping on golden beaches and sharing campfire stories as they roast marshmallows, not once does it give you that shoddy camcorder holiday vid sensation.
All five leads put in stainless natural performances, making sure that when the shit hits the fan when they get lost in a labyrinth of caverns, the audience really feels some of the spatter. And then, when each member of the group starts clutching at very last straws, you’ll be constantly asking yourself what you would do in the same situation.
Love Adam Green’s Frozen? Then you’ll get a big kick out of this one…
The Pool (2014)
The overwhelming stench of tent mold and mildew, straitjacket simulating sleeping bags, the succulent odor of portable toilets; there’s nothing quite like camping out under the stars with family and friends, am I right?
Whilst Chris W. Mitchell’s The Pool gives the initial impression that it’s following a particularly well-trodden path through horror-in-the-woods tropes, things quickly deviate into a cleverly-structured character-driven piece. Deftly blending otherworldly elements with the most down-to-earth of settings imaginable – camping – and focusing on simmering family feuds rather than supernatural scares to ramp up the tension, audiences are in for a refreshingly unique shocker.
If you were planning on camping before watching this film, once the credits roll you’ll be jumping straight on-line in search of a decent 5-star all-inclusive hotel deal.
JeruZalem (2015)
Up-and-coming writers/directors/brothers Doron and Yoav Paz take a good old stab at trying to reinvent the found footage wheel, and through their state-of-the-art storytelling approach, they pull it off quite nicely.
Fully embracing Google’s latest fad, Smart Glass, the siblings invite us to enjoy the sites of Jerusalem; some of which come as a big surprise.
Sarah (Danielle Jadelyn) receives her Go Go Gadget specs as a gift ahead of her trip to Tel Aviv with her BFF, Rachel (Yael Grobglas), and as soon as they find their seat numbers on the plane, they hit it off with an Indiana Jones type who convinces them to deviate slightly from their planned itinerary to come and explore Jerusalem on the eve of the Day of Atonement. As bad luck would have it, some kind of ancient portal opens, unleashing all holy hell on the city as an army of winged, zombie-like creatures and a gigantic monster have their evil way with scarpering human prey.
In short, this high-tech approach and the application-rich environment that comes with it armed the directors to the teeth with a myriad of never-before-seen storytelling devices which will most probably pave the way for a barrage of similarly styled movies.
Backcountry (2014)
Judging this one by its cover, it’s understandable that many potential viewers could be put off by the thought of yet another film that sees innocent campers terrorized by a wild bear, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. What separates Adam MacDonald’s Backcountry from other flicks of this ilk is the fact it focuses 99% more on the camping couple’s relationship so as to pack one hell of an almighty punch when the film horrifyingly reminds us how erratic and harrowing a wild animal attack really is.
Backcountry is an eye-opening depiction of how sheer willpower can ultimately overcome the worst that life could possibly throw at us, and I swear you will absolutely feel like you are in that tent when all kinds of bear hell breaks loose; and it’s not a pretty sight.
Bite (2015)
Whilst Chad Archibald’s latest showcase of all things goopy might only start off as a travelogue in its first 10 minutes or so, it’s still a perfect fit for this list as it deals with pretty much every holidaymaker’s pet hate: bug bites.
Mixing equal parts romantic tragedy and body horror, Bite is guaranteed to induce a relentless itching sensation on various parts of your anatomy as the gorgeous Casey (played by newcomer Elma Begovic) metamorphoses into an insect-like creature after being bitten in the crystal clear waters of the Dominican Republic whilst on her bachelorette party getaway.
If gross-out movies have you drooling with anticipation, then this is the one for you. Just make sure you get your vaccine jabs before catching any international flights.
