YellowBrickRoad (limited)
| release date | June 1 2011 |
| studio | Bloody Disgusting Selects |
| director | Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton |
| writer | Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton |
| starring | Cassidy Freeman, Clark Freeman, Anessa Ramsey, Lee Wilkof, Laura Heisler, Alex Draper |
| rating | R |
| site | bloody-disgusting.com/selects |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
3 Comments
Thanks for getting this movie into theaters, Bloody Disgusting! This film definitely had some interesting ideas and concepts, but they seemed to be a little too ambitious and a little too vague. Imagine if Session 9 was combined with Blair Witch Project, with just a little more mystery and a little more confusion. Not quite my cup of tea, but I look forward to hearing other people’s opinions. More information here:
http://thewolfmancometh.com/2011/06/06/yellowbrickroad-2010/
This film was a complete mystery to me. The only brief connection that I got out of the story in this film is that the mystery is connected to the movie house in the town.
To me the rest of it sounded like some dude with a very loud record player playing jazz and ragtime music. In the middle of the hills and valleys where the hikers tried to go to find the mystery of the missing people. It ended the same way it started.
I had questions about the mystery of the people that disappeared, and in the end I staill had those questions unanswered for the most part. The only conclusion is that the movie house that still is operating with no one watching anything in it has the connection. The film that was last in the projector was the Wizard of Oz and the road is of course the Yellowbrickroad. If you like stories with inconclusive answers at the end then go see it. If not, you can always wait for the DVD and save yourself the trip.
Movie was awful, far from “polished” I saw better fight scenes on power rangers. And it pretty much followed the xact same formula as ever other ” group of people go ion the woods to find other lost people ” movie. If this is the “quality” of movie bloody disgustig selects and praises fr beig so great, makes me wonder why the hell I read their reviews. We obviously have different definitions for the words “polished” ,”quality” and don’t have the same taste in movies in any way shape or form. This is def a movie I regret watching
violated by BD. When you said I had to watch INSIDE I did and was blown away. When you said I had to see MARTYRS it also floored me. This movie however paid off in NO way. And where was the “finale that brings clarity to the mystery while also wrapping everything up in a nice red bow?” I’m sorry but, YellowBrickRoad fell flat on its face. The only thing I walked away with was the realization that I’d lost 140 mins that I’d never get back. Really MR. D…how much money did you make off that bogus review. Big Fail!
Creepy and claustrophobic. I liked the atmosphere and characters. Unfortunately, like the other viewers, I could have used some serious plot closure or explanation of story connections. I was left a little confused.
My first thought right when the credits started-”What the hell did I just watch?” The ending didn’t resolve anything! I’m confused! What drove them to kill themselves?! The music?! Why did they go insane?!
I have to give this a good rating because it definitely was frightening. I read something at some point (i don’t remember where) that described it as unsettling and I think that is the best description there is. I would definitely like to watch it again to try and figure out the end. I think a lot of people expect some easy ending and when something requires some thought and deliberation after the movie then it’s immediately written off as a horrible movie. I have the feeling there’s a lot to the movie that could be figured out with a second watch and the film makers definitely succeeded in making a horror movie with an original story line
The movie started off great, it was a creepy thriller harkening back to Blair Witch Project at the beginning, then ramped it up to full-fledged horror in the blink of an eye.
Midway through, the film began to lose steam, but reinvigorated itself with one shocking scene. Sadly though, from that point on it became a sluggish, muddy mess, ending with a finale that failed to pull off the shock value it was intended to instill.
If the second half had maintained any of the brilliance of the first half, this would have been a great film instead of just an above-average one.
Worth a rent/Netflix viewing, but that’s about it.
“What the hell did I just watch?” sums it up for me but I enjoyed it from open to the end, just because I don’t get it doesn’t mean I wasn’t mesmerized. “unsettling” was a good way to describe the film in one word, The acting was spot on and the progression of the actors was creepy brilliant. Thanks for getting behind it and bringing films like this out to a bigger audience.
I had been following this movie for quite awhile in BD before finally getting to view it and had very high hopes. Coming out I was confused and agreed with the consensus that the writers/directors were attempting to create something too broad given the constraints surrounding them.
Cinema tics and sound are excellent and the character development is quite well done however I had to re-watch it looking for clues before i could bring together the message.
Give this movie a shot if you aren’t in the mood for a generic slasher but keep in mind the ending will most likely leave you wanting a bit more resolution.
I had been wanting to see this for sometime. Now that I have seen it, I can’t really recommend it to anyone. The acting and cinematography are quite good but the story just lacks delivery. I think you can get want you want from the film if you put in the effort but if you don’t want to squeeze the film to get a few drops out of it, its not going to be of any use to the viewer.
I did have a good giggle when the actors do their best Star Trek screen shake though.
Okay, I realized that Mr. Disgusting HAS to pimp Bloody Disgusting releases but really? Maybe if I had eaten some of those magic berries this movie would have done something with me but basically I just lost 100 minutes of my life that I’ll never be able to get back. The best thing about the movie? The trailer. Okay, after a long set up, with a genuinely interesting premise, I thought we might be into something when the first murder occurred (though someone must explain to me how you rip a persons leg off that easily) however, the rest of the movie is jumpy film, annoying noises, and people losing it for no apparent reason. I have no clue what they were trying to accomplish with this film but even the end left me going WTF? This was a muddled mess that left me wondering why I’d wasted my time.
When I first watched Yellowbrickroad, I recall doing the full range of feelings, I enjoyed it initially, found it suitably creepy as it proceeded, thought it started to drag and finally struggled with the ending. Now, having said this, this movie actually caused me to think about it for hours after I had seen it. I even waited a few days to compose my thoughts on what I saw and ultimately what I thought of it. So here goes….
YelloBrickRoad is the story of a group of academicians who decide to write a book about a mysterious and tragic incident that occurred in Friar, New Hampshire back in the 1930s. Essentially, 500 townspeople effectively vanished one day from the area. When the US Government investigated, they found the remains of 300 people, many horribly butchered, one survivor and no sign of the rest of the people. These scientists are on a quest to uncover the mystery of what really happened.
What transpires will be a somewhat familiar ride. The more traditional expedition-gone-wrong, where problems occur and people begin to argue. Still, there is such a strong core of just unexplained occurrences, from loud, sometimes painfully so, music that plays non-stop, to scientific readings and gps devices not working at all. I hesitate to discuss much more of what occurs as I think the less you know about the plot going in the better off you will be.
Cassidy Freeman (Smallville) is really the only recognizable actress here, but I found the cast of largely unknowns to be solid enough to keep things moving along.
The sounds and sound effects of the movie are truly the real stars here. The music, and everything just really combined to create a creepy atmosphere that seemed to just get worse as the film moved along. The violence and gore were done on a minimalist level and aside from one early almost ludicrous violent scene things are kept in check.
The film clocks in at one hour and forty minutes or so and probably could have used a 10-15 minute trim. The ending is an ending, but it will frustrate those who like everything wrapped up in a nice pretty package. It is wide open to a sequel, but it wasn’t ended that way intentionally. It can easily stand on its own as a strange and unexplained horror story.
One of the final images I recalled seeing brings to mind a particularly graphic scene from Titus Andronicus. This seen actually caused me to begin thinking closely about everything that I saw and perhaps the things that I didn’t see. There is certainly far more about YellowBrickRoad than I saw on the first viewing and it will actually require me to watch it a few more times. For me, this says something about the quality of what was presented on such a small budget.
This movie will likely only evoke either hatred/boredom, or cause you to consider/discuss and re-watch what you have seen. It will not be for everyone and it leaves things to the imagination, but in the end, after spending time thinking about it, I will recommend YellowBrickRoad for viewing. Just be aware that some folks hated it and you may fall into that camp.
At first I thought that YellowBrickRoad had a powerful story that could develop into a full blown horror movie on its own right. The story is there, the slow burn is there, the characters are there, but somehow, the directors/writers get lost just when the movie reaches its summit, and from that moment on, the movie collapses more and more every five minutes.
Suddenly, the horrifying disappearance of the town of Friar and the mistery behind that is the only thing the spectator wants to know, and the answer is utterly disappointing.
A really great, suspenseful movie. Though it didn’t explain almost anything, it didn’t bother me at all and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Great stuff!
Horrible movie…and I can’t believe this site would put it’s name on such an incoherent turd. It tries so hard to be David Lynch and comes off more like George Lynch. Shame on you guys.
The movie wasn’t great nor did it suck monkey balls. However, the potential written all over this movie faded for me at least, with the demise of the intern and was obliterated by the ending.
To the film’s credit, it was one of the best shot indie films I had ever watched, sound fx were above par, and to be an indie movie the acting was about at par(I found it interesting how some of the actors resembled somewhat bigger name actors).
I think the downfall of YellowBrickRoad was that the film was built around a concept/premise rather than a mythos. That’s what seperated it from something like Blair Witch. The biggest disappointment is the fact that the after around 98 minutes, there was no payoff, explanations, and even worse — more questions.
The only thing that could possibly redeem this movie is a mulligan in the hands of better writers or a prequel from the viewpoint of the lone survivor from the 40s. Other than that, it’s at least worth checking out to see what all the noise is about(pun unintentional) or if you’ve got 100 minutes to waste.
…Wow what a terrible movie. Maybe I didnt get it or something but nothing is explained nor did any of it make sense on the account of the given premise of the movie. I mean sitting there thinking any minute we’ll actually get to the point where maybe they start to discuss the actual given plot…but nope it basically has nothing to do with the given premise. If you actually feel like wasting your time on this movie, just act like its a movie about people walking thru the woods. I dont even know why this is catergorized in horror, its more pyschological thriller but it doesnt even do that right really.
not a bad film, had its creepy moments, but like all the others said lots of unanswered questions. but not at all what i was hoping for in the gore area, or the story area either, but still something about this movie is very unsettling.
This is definitely the WTF movie of the year to me and I thought that Antichrist was fucked up, this is just as worse. I thought that the acting was pretty good for an independent horror movie and the suspense and atmosphere was definitely there and it was a spooky little movie with a great premise but when it comes to it being coherent it fails. The film shines the most when it is at it’s most zaniest, random and out there moments like when two characters get high from these berries or when gluteny consumes a character who can’t stop eating candy, these types of touches were my favorite. Overall in the end it would of worked better as a short from an horror anthology than the full length film it was and the ending was just bat shit crazy and I had high hopes for this one but it was just mostly lackluster and disappointing when it comes to being an horror movie. 5.7 out of 10.
A slow burn to be sure, but pretty damn scary. The cast is game and there are some wonderfully creepy and gruesome images that take you by surprise. Overall YBR is a refreshing and original chiller.
First off let me say I liked it, but hated the ending. I wanted to know what happend to the people of Friar. I think the movie led people to believe that at least one of the characters was going to reach the end of the brick road and find the answers. I do think the sound effects were quite creepy, as for the [shall we say] “end of the road” scene. In conclusion, I think that the people of Friar watched The Wizard of Oz too many times, they went mad, walked in search of “The Wizard”, killed one of there group and strung him up on that cross, and just continued until they died of starvation in different parts of the area. They may not have found all the bodies due to the fact that some of them may have been eaten by animals, or just walked too far to be found, or died in an unreachable place. As for the creepy music and “ring-leader-lookin-guy”, I have no explantion. Maybe the (we’ll just call him RLLG from now on) RLLG was just a hallucination of that one guy. Who knows why he supposedly took that girls body, just to fuck with his head I guess. THATS WHAT HALLUCINATIONS DO! Its basically a movie to watch while on drugs.
What a terrible waste of time. There is nothing frighetening about this “movie.” It’s more like a bunch of friends got drunk one weekend and decided to run around the woods with a camera. Horrible acting. Horrible script. After about twenty minutes, I wanted all of the characters to die; I hated all of them! Please, for the love of Bubba Ho-Tep, someone explain to me how you can cut a leg off with a medium sized rock after three or four hits! How is ragtime music in the woods frightening? This could have been something truly terrifying, but, in the end, is just another 90+ minutes of my life I’ll never get back. (Can I not give this film anything lower than a 2?) If this is what BD is going to start promoting, then I’ll think twice before watching another movie with their name on int.
One of the slowest horror films I have ever seen. It was boring, badly written and has no payoff at the end. How can they not explain anything that had gone on before? Its like the writer had no idea how to end his film. Terrible waste of time. I almost fell asleep twice. Pass on it.
Once again, Miska is off the mark. This film was terribly written. The original premise was left unresolved. The characters were extremely annoying, and definitely the worst part of this whole ordeal, save for the retarded ending. I literally wanted all of them to die a few minutes after they set foot into the forest. Their descent into insanity felt extraordinarily contrived. Holland and Mitton should have taken a few more Psych classes at the local CC. Lastly, the ending was so incongruent with the rest of the film that it was actually surprising. It seemed ripped right out of film project made by goth high school students.
YellowBrickRoad is a beautiful, devastating little gem that gets under your skin, crawls around and makes itself comfortable, and forces you to ponder its themes and ideas long after you would rather be safe and warm and content again. It’s not for everyone, true, but it is a wicked trip of disturbing suspense for anyone who craves answers and rational truth in a world that is often barren of these ideals. The seeming dichotomy of claustrophobic, wide-open spaces, utter isolation while in group, and terrifying, awe-inspiring, irresistible beauty is all too real and far too familiar for many of us who are hopelessly drawn to the horror genre. The road knows you, my friend, so pack light, remember the earplugs, don’t eat the berries (“Berries are for squishing!”), and, for God’s sake, bring your own damned hat!!!
Whenever I write a negative review for a low-budget, independently-made horror film, I’m not lacking in encouragement towards the filmmakers. By all means, I do encourage indie films to be made in spite of their flaws. They can lead to eventual success. Or they can lead to more failure. And if they make money, that’s great. There are many horror fans and they eat these kinds of films right up. I’ve seen indie horror films that are possible to like as well as ones that are possible to despise. And now, “YellowBrickRoad” decides to come along, and it’s a particularly unpleasant experience.
But that’s the point, right? The film is supposed to be atmospheric and unsettling. It is very-much interested in its setting, but not so much for its characters. Shame about that; here is a film that has a pretty good premise, but it runs the formula that it’s based around into the ground. It’s not fun to watch and it’s not necessarily deserving of all the attention it’s been getting. But it doesn’t surprise me that the folks at Bloody Disgusting, the popular website devoted to horror films, did most of the advertising. But in the end of the day, that doesn’t mean too much.
In Friar New Hampshire, it is said that the ENTIRE population of the place just walked out of town and into the woods; following a trail that they believe will lead them to some sort of God. They never returned. And nobody knows just what happened to them, but that’s why a film crew goes hiking on this trail to uncover the truth; as all curious movie-hikers do.
It’s been seventy years since all the people disappeared, so maybe whatever got them isn’t in the woods anymore. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that the film’s cast of characters goes on this journey into the depths of the woods anyways; without questioning, and without reasoning. I would have just stayed away.
The film has two directors. One of them is Jesse Holland, and the other is Andy Mitton. The two also wrote the film together. As directors, the two men seem to focus a lot on characterizing their forest rather than the human beings hiking in it. Expect some bleak, but somewhat beautiful shots of the wilderness and such, but not much more. I wouldn’t tell you not to see the film, and if you do see it, you might want to just for what the filmmakers are trying to do.
However, trying and doing have never been the same thing, and this is why “YellowBrickRoad” fails so miserably. What it tries to do is build tension and atmosphere rather than use just a whole lot of blood-and-gore, but this approach is almost becoming a pretension among filmmakers. Some people can make a film that is good, and doesn’t need gore; others cannot. For instance, Ti West’s “The House of the Devil” was all build-up, and yes, it did have a bloody finale. But I liked that film for reasons other than the ones that pertain to why I dislike this one. It gets what makes a good, tense thriller and what makes a bad one. The directors are too inexperienced to glorify this material and bring it to anything worth talking about. The result is overly talky and overlong (and I say that in spite of the nearly-100 minute run-time, which isn’t long at all, but oh boy: it certainly feels like it is).
In the end, the film didn’t give me enough reasons why I should be awake. There’s one scene that literally attacks the viewer with sounds, sight, and insane madness. This scene was meant to be artsy, much like the rest of the film, but instead it’s just trying to keep us awake by force; and that’s bad, bad, bad. The flick is nothing more than a very, very bad excuse to show people going into the woods, investigating, going mad, and killing each other. There aren’t enough good reasons to go on this long, treacherous walk in the woods. Save yourself some time and attention and see something like, say, “Insidious”. If this year continues as it is, for the horror genre, then it’s going to be as bleak as an independently-filmed trail in the forest.
I reeeeally wanted to give this an eight, but I couldn’t get past the ending. It just doesn’t fit.
I was REALLY excited to see this movie. The premise just sounded SO promising…and it was. The first 30-45 min were great. The atmosphere, tone and storytelling were very unique and creepy. I was lovin it! But then…nothing happens. I mean, there a couple of unnerving and somewhat shocking moments, but it’s very inconsistent. A good ending would have saved it, but the ending didn’t really make any sense. I’m all for ambiguity in a film, I think “explaining” too much can spoil things. But in this case, it wasn’t smart it was just lazy. It’s like they had this great idea for a story, but didn’t know how to execute it. Two thumbs UP for originality, just spent more time on your storytelling next time.
The overall premise was interesting and the background of it wasn’t too bad of a story. Things from the 40′s and 50′s era really creep me out like the music and sometimes photos and old building left in that time period so right away that kinda got me.
I did feel though that the middle lacked a little bit and the whole music in the atmosphere concept made it iffy for me, but the music was old time era so it still kind of got under my skin and helped me keep going into it.
I didn’t understand the ending but i like it that way. I still have no idea what is happening at the end or what it all means but i was kinda shocked by it. I didn’t mind it at all.
This film has some definite flaws and lacks to some degree but it peaked my interest overall. Not too bad of a film if you are bored at home but not always a first choice, or a choice in the night for the matter.
WTF???? this movie was pretty disturbing, very chilling, the ending was weird. It was a mix of lynch and wickermanish kind of stuff goin on. Also kind of like the movie THE LAST WINTER too. IDK what the ending was all about but if you stick till the end of the credits everything from the start is played again. Is the whole movie a retread and never ends are you forever trapped in this town and never getting out to relive your sins or something who the fuck knows so many questions. But hey I like that. Hope people will enjoy this film for what it is. it is a slow burner so know that, and the actin is pretty decent for this kind of film. Good movie to watch if you want some time killed.
It’s obvious that both Jesse Holland and Andy Milton had a unique vision for this movie and, occasionally, said vision is translated well into film. Unfortunately, the writing proves absolutely horrendous in parts, and the acting equally subpar. Furthermore, “YellowBrickRoad” fails to generate any lasting scares, leaving the viewer with a jumbled mess of good intentions gone awry.