Black Mountain Side

This independent, low budget Canadian horror film is the sort of movie that critics will appreciate, but general audiences will likely find it strange and slow. The storytelling isn't very good. It reminded me of a person telling someone about their weird dream. It jumps around sporadically, it leaves out details, it raises questions without answering them, and while it has moments that are interesting, it ends abruptly before completely telling the whole story. It's definitely a slow burner. It's a creepy movie, but it's hard to call it scary. The archeological element is interesting but not explored satisfactorily. While many critics will admire this movie as a piece of art, it's a bit of a mess in terms of storytelling. If watching some guys smoking a lot of cigarettes while mentally breaking down sounds interesting to you, give this movie a shot. Otherwise, the creepiness of what's uncovered in the ice isn't interesting or frightening enough to thrill most viewers.

I read the other reviews before I decided to download it from iTunes and watch.

Some reviewers referenced Carpenter's 'Thing' and others referenced Lovecraft. I would step back from either. It takes place in an arctic setting, but that alone does not make it a Carpenter clone or even a bad one.

A bunch of guys at an isolated northern archaeologic site dig-up/uncover something older than known recorded history...then strange behaviors and strange things start plaguing them.

That's the beginning nut...and anyone who's an aficionado of Horror can guess the likely paths the story plot will take...The question becomes: What do you expect of the movie?

I like this effort because it was about Dread and Uncertainty, Fear and Insanity. It's not a splatter or scream fest. Nor is it an out-and-out Monster flick, but there's 'SOMETHING' there. Something creepy that's given a nice, though albeit, slow, buildup.

Some reviewers called the acting 'wooden' and worse...but the same could have been said about the character set in the 'Thing'. These are a Bunch of Guys, voluntarily stuck up in the middle of No-Where in the Canadian Winter. Only Certain kinds of people volunteer for for these kinds of stints. They tend NOT to be emotional Divas or unstable psychopaths as Hollywood scripts like to set them out.

What this story is about is what happens when a group of very stolid, work-focused guys are faced with something inexplicable and there's no outside help. And then things and psyches begin to unravel.

What also made this story work from the Lovecraftian angle were the hints, facts and thoughts that were explicated in the dialogue...if you're willing to pay attention. But that said, do NOT expect a cinematic Lovecraftian Horror experience.

And yes...to a degree, this was a Horror movie with a slight Lovecraftian tinge. And thus, the ending DID actually Fit. Because in Lovecraft's Universe...there are NO Good Endings. Man does NOT escape.

I would not make this Movie a Saturday Night MAIN Event. But it's a good fit for a late, late Friday Night chiller before you go to bed.

On the positive side, I thought that director Nick Szostakiwskyj made very good use of the Canadian northern wilderness as a setting. It was bleak and snowbound and foreboding. It leant the proper atmosphere to the movie - there was a tension to this almost from the very beginning. The story revolves around a team of archaeologists who discover an unusual structure of some sort buried underground and under the snow. It's mysterious. It's very old and there are items discovered that don't belong anywhere near this area. And after the discovery, strange things begin to happen, starting with the pet cat of one of the team being discovered killed. Then the rest of the movie shows a slow descent into what appears to be madness and violence among the team.

The atmosphere was effective; the story - to me - less so. The basic question once the madness began was whether this was a form of cabin fever - madness caused by the isolation the team was facing - or whether there was a supernatural element involved in all of this; something to do with this strange structure that the team uncovered. I'd lean toward the latter, but it wasn't entirely clear and the possibility of mass hysteria was certainly present.

The story is set over a period of about six weeks. i will confess that at times the story seemed to bog down and drag a little bit, so that the six weeks started to feel a bit literal at some points. But overall the movie was mildly interesting and the performances from the cast were decent enough, although I'm not sure I'd give this many marks for originality. It was - at best - OK. Nothing special, but not bad. (5/10)

Pleasantly surprised by this movie. Came into it with hoping of a decent movie set in a paranoid lonely environment, perhaps not completely different the 80s movie "Thing" with Curt Russel.

Quite soon i discovered that there are some small similarities between the movies but it was not a ripoff but had its own thing going which i find worked well. Actors does a decent job, Not top notch quality but overall i cant complain. I did found the group a bit too big though and sometimes i mistook the characters for one another which was annoying but you came back on rail realizing who and what was going on fast after confusion hit you. Its not a perfect movie but i found the mood and vibe of the whole thing very unsettling which of course is a great quality in a horror movie. Being a HP Lovecraft fan it satisfied me taking a bit of that mythology into it all but with that being said, you do not need any Lovecraft interest or knowledge to understand the movie. Its just extra candy for those that are.

Not going to spoil anything but i wish the movie would have expanded and gotten more info on the artifact, When the movie ends there is still some questions you want to have answered but in some ways it also probably makes the movie good in a way. Instead of having answers served it tickles the imagination a bit.

The movie had its chilling moments and as i said a very pleasant surprise among all crap you find in the genre and i very much recommend a viewing, Might not connect well with all horror fans in a great way but if you got a thing for the Cthulhu mythos and Lovecraftian literature this is a must see.

I will re watch this movie in a few months to see how a second look makes me feel but yes...recommended. I suspect budget was not huge in this movie but they have solved it well with the limitations they might have had. I give it a 7 in score and if you're on the hunt for a nice horroflick but cant decide...put this one on!

This movie sounded right up my alley when I read the synopsis. An ancient structure is uncovered in the Canadian wilderness which has no right to be there. It's hard to describe the way the storyline spirals out of control with out giving away any spoilers, but the ancient structure, which is the focus of the film previews, seems to be all but forgotten by the end of the movie. I wish I could go into more detail, but I really don't want to give away any spoilers. And the ending isn't even an ending, albeit a very predictable scene due to some very clumsily inserted plot dialogue early on. The sort of statement that immediately makes you think, "I wonder when that's going to happen then." But nothing is really explained, there are several plot points left unresolved, hell, the entire story remained unresolved, with plot dead ends, and a very unfulfilling ending, which just seems lazy. To be fair the acting is pretty good throughout and the Canadian scenery is awesome, without that it would have got a 2.