Levan Bakhia doesn’t have a lot of credits to his name, and his only other directed movie so far is the sauna-set thriller 247°F. Yet before taking his indefinite leave of absence from filmmaking, Bakhia left the world a disturbing parting gift. His 2015 movie is strictly for fans of disobedient storytelling. Set and filmed in the Georgian director’s homeland, Landmine Goes Click combines a high-concept plot with the brutality of vintage Grindhouse and exploitation movies.

While the country of Georgia has made a conscious effort to clear landmines left over from wartime, there is always going to be the chance that one was overlooked. And unfortunately for the three characters in Landmine Goes Click, they found it. Newly engaged couple Daniel and Alicia (Dean Geyer, Spencer Locke) and their best friend Chris (Sterling Knight) are backpacking somewhere out in the Georgian countryside, near the mountains and several hours away from the closest town. There is an unspoken tension between the three friends, but it’s only when one of them steps on a landmine does the truth come out and destroy their relationships.

Similar to 247°F, this movie also centers on desperate young characters stuck in an unusual situation. However, Landmine Goes Click could have simply focused on the immediate dilemma — Chris can’t move until help arrives — but Bakhia didn’t aim for a straightforward thriller this time around. No, he crafted a story with three distinct acts, each one more depraved than the last. The first part looks to be a standard survival drama until a foreshadowed plot twist changes everything.

The movie mutates into something grimier as Chris and Alicia’s secret finally blows up in their faces. After revealing the two had a dalliance in the past, it becomes more and more likely that Chris stepping on the mine wasn’t an accident. The confirmation comes soon enough, and while it isn’t surprising, it is a good sample of the kind of vileness this tortuous movie has in store for its viewers. Those initial fifteen minutes may seem tense and hopeless, but they will feel like a picnic compared to the remainder of the story.

The next act is where Landmine Goes Click starts to go to dark places. As Alicia tries to save Chris, a local named Ilya (Kote Tolordava) and his dog show up out of the blue. Ilya, whose actor passed away shortly after this movie was released, fools the audience into thinking he’s more inept than dangerous. At first Ilya plays up his oafish act, grating on both yours and the character’s nerves with his repeated obtuseness. Like in the previous chapter, though, looks are deceiving; Ilya is more calculating than he originally let on.

Bakhia was wise to not revolve the story around Chris and Alicia’s original predicament; there isn’t enough there to sustain an entire movie. This is also one of those cases where the involved characters are only interesting because of their bizarre problem. Without the mine here, Chris and Alicia aren’t compelling. Meanwhile, the introduction of Ilya keeps the movie feeling fresh and interesting, not to mention unpredictable. When it seems like Landmine is losing its focus and going nowhere during Ilya’s arrival, though, the last scene of this middle act pays out. The camera stays on Alicia during her excruciating and prolonged attack, forcing you to look at her and absorb every second of her pain. 

There is no time to shake off the queasy feelings incurred by watching the previous act. Immediately the movie moves on to what looks to be a much needed cooldown period, but it’s actually the inevitable fulfillment of a threat made earlier. Landmine Goes Click channels the lurid revenge flicks of yesteryear by having a certain someone deliver karmic retribution after biding their time. The story trades the open outdoors for a cramped house, where a home-invasion scenario in the vein of Funny Games plays out with dreadful results. In lieu of fear caused by an intimidating culprit, one who is undermined by their own overdone performance, the victims’ medley of desperate pleas, wailing and hysteria makes the conclusion frightful and agonizing. The emotional add-on is something else to consider — the high cost of revenge — though it comes across as too hurried.

Bakhia runs a tight ship, rarely allowing for any significant downtime in the story. He knows how to keep people’s attention as well as test their endurance. The movie’s glaring lack of plausibility could be a deterrent to those who seek that, but here the emphasis is on extremes. There is no moderation or realism to be found. Landmine Goes Click is one long, cinematic shock button that averts credibility and embraces transgressivism.

Landmine Goes Click isn’t for everyone, and even the most hardened viewers might find themselves unsettled by what they see. However, if you miss the unapologetic style and execution of classic exploitation filmmaking, this thriller is a step in the right direction.

Horrors Elsewhere is a recurring column that spotlights a variety of movies from all around the globe, particularly those not from the United States. Fears may not be universal, but one thing is for sure — a scream is understood, always and everywhere.