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Terrifying Terrain: ‘The Canyonlands’ and 8 Wilderness-Set Horror Movies
The great outdoors remains one of the most prominent and utilized settings in horror, especially for slashers. Many of them employ a similar setup. A group of inexperienced friends from the city opts for an idyllic getaway in the wilderness only to run afoul of something nasty and homicidal. Surviving becomes tricky when lost in the wilds, far removed from civilization. How different films approach that setup brings the fun. Some rely solely on nature to do its worst, some opt for the supernatural, and some introduce a new slasher villain with a significant vendetta. The Canyonlands blends the latter, delivering a supernatural slasher set against a Moab Mountain backdrop.
In this slasher, an adventurer guide hesitantly accepts a job to take five contest winners on a rafting trip down the Colorado River in Utah. The adventure quickly takes a deadly turn when the group camps off the river for the night. They find out that they’re not the only ones out in the remote canyonlands, and it doesn’t want them to leave.
The Canyonlands marks the feature debut by writer/director Brendan Devane. Scored by Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger from Umphrey’s McGee, the slasher stars Stephanie Barkley, Marqus Bobesich, Jesse Buck-Brennan, Ari Anderson, Dennis Connors, and Lauren Capkanis.
The Canyonlands will be available on VOD on March 9, 2021 (iTunes pre-order). For its release, we’re taking a look at some of horror’s most stunning wilderness settings.
Backcountry
An urban couple gets in over their heads when they wind up lost in nature during a camping trip. Their inexperience proves even more dangerous when they realize they’ve ventured into the territory of an aggressive black bear. Adam MacDonald’s wilderness set horror movie emphasizes nature. The focus is on the gorgeous yet hostile environment and the mounting tensions between its leads for much of its runtime. None of it will prepare for the brutal bloodletting in the final act.
The Blair Witch Project
This classic is one of cinema’s most formative “lost in the woods” horror movies that kicked off a massive wave of found footage. Three film students set off into the Maryland woods searching for the truth behind the Blair Witch legend. They never return, and only the footage left behind provides clues on their disappearance. This supernatural tale bides its time to unfurl, relying on nature to create dread as the lost trio moves deeper into the forest. Desperation sends them spiraling, making them all the more vulnerable to an evil presence.
Cub
A group of twelve-year-old Cub Scouts is learning the basics of nature survival in the mountains, but they’re prone to bullying and scare tactics. Based on campfire stories, lead Sam thinks there’s a werewolf lurking nearby. When they get lost, Sam stumbles upon a feral boy he believes to be that werewolf. The boy isn’t alone, though, and Sam’s new friendship triggers deadly consequences.
The Descent
Neil Marshall trades the woods for an unexplored cave system in this claustrophobic chiller. Six experienced cave spelunkers get plunged into the fight of their lives when their expedition derails, and they’re trapped. Then they discover that they’ve unwittingly entered the den of strange humanoid predators. It’s primal, bloody, and intense.
Lake Bodom
Four friends head to Lake Bodom and set up camp. They intend to recreate the 1960 Lake Bodom murders, in which a group of teens was stabbed to death while asleep in their tent. The friends’ plan to reconstruct the murders becomes far too real when they’re confronted with an actual killer. It’s a thrilling modern slasher that ensures its breathtaking lakeside setting is just as important of a character as its leads.
The Ritual
Six months after a tragedy, four friends embark on a hiking trip in the Kungsleden to commemorate their fallen friend. Injuries and emotional baggage threaten to derail a peaceful but arduous journey. That’s before they realize they’re being stalked by something not quite human. The European woodlands hold strange secrets for the unwitting men, including one memorable creature of myth.
Rituals
Hal Holbrook stars in this wilderness set slasher. Five doctors set out for their isolated trek nestled deep in the Canadian wild. It’s meant to let off steam from their otherwise stressful lives, but the expedition runs afoul of lousy luck straightaway. Shoes go missing, and accidents occur. As they make their way upriver, the men discover a crazed hunter is stalking them. While borrowing from Deliverance, Rituals forges a distinct path rooted in the slasher.
Wolf Creek
A trio of friends set out from Western Australia to backpack across the country, soaking in the natural beauty while deepening their bonds. They make a stop at Wolf Creek National Park to visit the preserved meteorite impact crater but find they’re unable to leave after their recently purchased car won’t start. Enter Mick Taylor, a friendly local that offers a tow. Mick’s friendliness hides a sadistic streak, and the trio finds themselves at the mercy of a torture-inflicting maniac. This vicious horror movie that made the Outback a killer’s playground launched a franchise and TV series.
The Canyonlands is available on VOD on March 9, 2021 (iTunes).
A luxury team-building trip descends into a bloody fight for survival against a vengeful retreat leader in Corporate Retreat, out today in theaters. It’s the latest entry in a cathartic subgenre of workplace horror that examines every harrowing aspect of job employment.
No job is safe from horror, either, from babysitting to even the most white-collar gigs. But if you work an overnight shift? All bets are off. Vengeful co-workers and bosses aside, the night shift is likely to come armed with witches, creatures, demons, and all manner of things that go bump in the night. Even deadly outbreaks.
Corporate Retreat, along with these five horror movies centered around some of the worst night shifts, will make you glad the weekend has finally arrived.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
Passenger director André Øvredal goes full throttle for the scares in this quiet little chiller that sees a father and son coroner team stumped over the bizarre mysteries contained within the body of an unidentified young woman during an unexpected night shift. Well-executed scares, clever twists, and earnest performances by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch give this supernatural haunter serious heft. While the narrative bides its time unveiling the truth behind Jane Doe’s battered body, it’s heavily steeped in witchcraft. In other words, The Autopsy of Jane Doe presents a new take on the subgenre. More importantly, it’s seriously scary.
Cold Storage
COLD STORAGE, StudioCanal 2023
A lethal, mutated fungus breaks free from confinement deep within the bowels of a storage facility. At the frontlines of the madness are Teacake (Stranger Things’ Joe Keery) and Naomi (Barbarian‘s Georgina Campbell), two employees thrust into the middle of the chaos when they investigate an alarm beeping somewhere deep within the building. Director Jonny Campbell (Netflix’s Dracula), working from a script by David Koepp based on his novel, helms the goopy madness with workman efficiency. This lighthearted, goopy horror comedy romp makes the deadly night shift a bit more bearable.
Graveyard Shift
Graveyard Shift follows new hire Hall (David Andrews) tasked by his mean boss Warwick (Stephen Macht) to assist with the insane rat infestation beneath their mill. They find something much most monstrous as the cause. Though the film was panned, it’s a fun creature feature with an always welcome appearance by Brad Dourif as the intensely eccentric exterminator. The film also opts for a happier ending, whereas (spoiler), the story sees both Hall and Warwick getting devoured by the mutated rats, the crew in the upstairs mill none the wiser.
Last Shift
‘Last Shift’
Rookie Officer Jessica Loren (Juliana Harkavy) has been assigned to watch over a closing precinct on its final night of operation…alone. With nearly everything already moved over to the new station, including rerouted 911 calls, it should be a pretty quiet night as she waits for a Hazmat team to arrive to remove biohazardous waste. Instead, it becomes a waking nightmare as she’s forced to deal with unsettling visitors. Last Shift, co-written by Scott Poiley and director Anthony DiBlasi, brings the scares.
Intruder
The overnight stock crew of a local grocery store finds themselves falling victim to an unseen killer in this highly infectious late ‘80s slasher. The deaths are delightfully gruesome and inventive; look for this killer to make excellent use of grocery store items as weapons. Frequent Raimi collaborator Scott Spiegel directed this bloody slasher, which means a lot of overlap with the Evil Dead II. That means putting Sam Raimi in front of the camera for a change, along with Ted Raimi and Evil Dead II’s Dan Hicks. Look for a cameo by Bruce Campbell as well!
Corporate Retreat releases in theaters today; get tickets now.
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