Pyramide

The two writers apparently decided that there was no point in researching Egyptology before embarking on the writing of a script featuring archaeologists in an Egyptian pyramid. One of the characters claims that Bast (cat-headded goddess) would be «the guardian of the underworld» when in reality she is the protector of pregnant women. A nonsense among many others in this rather funny slasher.

If there's one thing we've learnt from 'The Descent', it's that tight spaces make for good claustrophobic horror. That seems to be the idea behind 'The Pyramid', which sends an archaeological team into the depths of an ancient pyramid which has just been unearthed in the Egyptian desert. Aside from the opening scenes, most of the rest of the movie takes place within the narrow corridors or rooms within the pyramid, which in itself does generate a veritable sense of dread.

Whether it was the intention of screenwriters Daniel Meersand and Nick Simon at the start or that of director Gregory Levasseur later on isn't clear, but 'The Pyramid' follows the recent trend of horror movies in adopting the found-footage format. Largely, that is. The majority of the shots originate from British cameraman Fitzie's (James Buckley) point of view, which also means that the key characters we see on screen most of the time are father-and-daughter pair Holden (Denis O'Hare) and Nora (Ashley Hinshaw) and award- chasing filmmaker Sunni (Christa- Marie Nicola). Only when it seems technically possible to have a first- person p.o.v. shot does Levasseur switch to more traditional modes of shot composition and framing, in particular when all but one of the members of the team is left.

Truth be told, we've never really been a big fan of found-footage horror, in part because most filmmakers use technique as an excuse for poor plotting, thinking that just having their characters run and/or scream down dimly lit hallways and getting surprised by things that jump out at them – and the audience – makes for a movie. To some extent, Levasseur and his writers are guilty of that as well, relying too conveniently on rote jump scares to deliver the thrills, which any seasoned horror fan can probably anticipate when and what is coming at them.

But thankfully, the Egyptology-themed setting isn't completely wasted; the last third of the movie is steeped in religious mythology, in particular the appearance of a part-man part-jackal creature better known in ancient Egyptian history as an "Anubis" and its role in an ancient funerary rite known as the "Weighing of the Heart". This isn't the family-friendly adventure that 'The Mummy' and its sequels ever was; indeed, coming from producer Alexandre Aja of 'The Hills Have Eyes', you should certainly be prepared for some pretty gory shocking scenes, including one that is clearly inspired by an iconic shot from 'Aliens' (you know, the one from the back?).

Not all the movie is that intriguing though; for a good part where the group is making its way through the narrow underground tunnels, the pace drags because none of the characters are particularly interesting in and of themselves. What effort spent introducing some conflict between them also falls flat, as Nora's criticism of Fitzie's obsession to get their ordeal down on camera is over and done with in just one scene – not least for the fact that she becomes the one to hold on to his camera and document the proceedings after something unfortunate befalls him.

You'll probably do well lowering your expectations if you've decided to watch 'The Pyramid', which seems content to revel in B-movie tropes than to be anything truly inspiring by itself. To its credit, it doesn't entirely squander its titular Egyptian theme, though for that matter, it also doesn't fully exploit it as well. What longtime Aja screenwriter Levasseur has managed in his directorial debut is to show he can mount a perfectly credible but mediocre found-footage horror, which is only as memorable as the time it takes for another B-grade horror to come along.

I watched this movie despite its bad reviews because I liked the fact that it is a horror movie in a pyramid and I also quite like movies that have to do with Egyptian history. So after having watched it, I have to say that the one and a half hour I spend doing that was worth it. The pyramid might not be a masterpiece but it is definitely a horror movie worth watching.

Firstly, I have to say that the settings were well made as well as the monsters. The actors did a good job too. I can't say that they were amazing but their acting seemed quite natural and they were well directed. Another fact I liked about this movie is that it was decently scary(enough to scare the average watcher) and intense. I quite enjoyed most killing scenes too. In that aspect I think it was better than most horror movies I've seen lately . It could have been more intense though.

Coming to the bad points now, as you can probably can guess already the plot is not something new or groundbreaking. You won't see something entirely new here. The only thing that's somewhat "new" is that the killings happen in a pyramid. In addition, the movie is not evenly good for its entirety. It starts well, shows promise and is pretty good for a big part but the last part of the movie ruins that feeling. Some scenes of the last part of the movie are not that well-though. Add to that the fact that they probably overdid it a bit with the selection of the "monster" and you can understand why it has bad critics. They involved Egyptian mythology a bit too much I guess but I won't spoil further.

To sum it up, The pyramid is a horror movie worth watching despite its flaws. They did a good job for a low budget movie like this and an average horror movie fan will surely have a nice time watching it.

As far as horror movies go, I definitely enjoyed this one. It was quite gory, so fair warning to those who don't like that. The movie was scary and had a good story. It's not top shelf horror, but i've seen way worse horror movies than this.

Sure, this movie isn't a masterpiece but it's very entertaining! I really enjoyed it. Why so much negative reviews? If you're a fan of "As Above, So Below" or even "The Descent" then you'll enjoy this too! Gives you the same vibe where people get trapped underground. Very claustrophobic and intense. A solid 7/10. I'm proud to say, as a horror movie collector. I'm glad I have this in my collection!