Horror in the High Desert (2021) Review – A Derivative But Decently Creepy Mockumentary
Horror in the High Desert: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A watchable but highly derivative mockumentary that relies heavily on established found footage blueprints. Horror in the High Desert succeeds in creating a slow burn mystery by adapting the real-life disappearance of Kenny Veach, though it struggles to find an identity of its own outside of its obvious Lake Mungo inspirations. While the acting is a mixed bag and the documentary format occasionally falters with messy editing, the final act delivers enough atmospheric dread to satisfy genre enthusiasts. It is a solid 3-star effort that serves as a decent introduction to the series, provided you can overlook its lack of original ideas.
Details: Director: Dutch Marich | Cast: Eric Mencis, Suziey Block, David Morales | Runtime: 1h 22m | Release Date: 27 March 2021
Best for: Fans of slow-burn mockumentaries, viewers who enjoy “missing person” mysteries, and found footage completionists.
Worth noting: The film’s subject, Gary Hinge, is directly modelled after real-life hiker Kenny Veach, who vanished in the Nevada desert in 2014.
Where to Watch: Amazon🛒, YouTube
Rating: 3/5 Stars
(Compelling real-life basis, effective final act, highly derivative structure)
Welcome to Knockout Horror and to another entry into our series of Found Footage Horror Movies Suggested by Reddit. Today’s movie is Horror in the High Desert from 2021. You can check this movie out completely free on the publisher Indie Right’s YouTube channel which is pretty neat.
Table of Contents
A well liked found footage series
This movie gets talked about a lot; as does the sequel Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva. Much of that is down to the fact that the third movie in the series, Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch, is due for release any day. Amazon have been causing some delays and the community is getting pretty antsy about the whole thing.
“If you have never watched Lake Mungo… Horror in the High Desert will probably feel inspired and completely fresh.”
So I figured, why not check them out? I have been meaning to watch for a while so what better time than now? My fiancée and I grabbed some snacks and checked them both out, one after the other. I mean, we might as well get all caught up on the story and ready for the third entry.
Horror in the High Desert is a mockumentary film ala Lake Mungo that follows the story of a missing hiker. Gary Hinge (Eric Mencis) was an avid outdoorsman and survivalist who mysteriously vanished in 2017. Footage recovered from a popular vlogging channel showed that he encountered a spooky cabin on one of his hikes. Pressure from his online community forced him to revisit the site which is where things all went wrong.
Incredibly familiar
Copycat film-making in horror is a rather large issue. A good idea comes along and everyone replicates it. When it comes to found footage horror, however, it’s doubly true.
“The presentation of the movie… are so reminiscent of Lake Mungo that it is almost impossible to shake that uncanny feeling of Dejà vu.”
Every found footage movie that has seen some form of success has been copied ad nauseam. A fact which makes the genre, as a whole, difficult to judge. It is easy to feel a bit jaded when every movie you see is a carbon copy of another, more successful, film.
Horror in the High Desert is extremely guilty of this. Almost to a point of making you wonder whether they had a single solitary idea of their own. The presentation of the movie, and some of the scenes, are so reminiscent of Lake Mungo that it is almost impossible to shake that uncanny feeling of Deja vu. I get it, though. You are making a found footage movie in a mockumentary style. How could you not be inspired by one of the more significant entries in the series?
Like, seriously overly familiar
But it is the fact that Horror in the High Desert has no ideas of its own that I find really problematic. Even the movie’s prevailing story is a blatant copy of the disappearance of YouTuber Kenny Veach in the Nevada desert. I mean, it goes way beyond coincidence.
Avid outdoorsman and survivalist that takes multi-day hikes finds a place that makes him feel uneasy; vows never to return. Goes to his channel, posts a vlog about it. Online community tells him he is full of shit and that he has to go back there to prove it. Guy goes back there to film it only to never return. This is the story of Kenny Veach but also the story of the movie’s subject Gary Hinge.
It is one of YouTube’s most talked about mysteries and one of the internet’s prevailing legends. With Horror in the High Desert, writer, director Dutch Marich has retold this story, almost to the letter, and encased it in a Lake Mungo flavoured wrapping. I am not saying that is an altogether bad thing. I mean, most movies are fairly derivative in one way or another. But there is so little new here that it all feels a bit uninspired.
Still pretty watchable
Despite these complaints, Horror in the High Desert is still a fairly watchable movie. I have found through reading posts from the found footage Reddit community that those guys are pretty easy to please. And if you have never watched Lake Mungo, The Bay, or other similar movies. And you have no idea of the disappearance of Kenny Veach. Horror in the High Desert is going to feel ultra fresh to you.
“The story is fairly compelling… some of the later scenes offer up some decently effective scares.”
The story is fairly compelling, for the first half. Execution is pretty well done and some of the later scenes offer up some decently effective scares. I stayed pretty interested throughout and the runtime is good enough for this type of movie.
There are issues here and there such as poorly improvised dialogue and actors that seem uncomfortable with line delivery in this format. And given the documentary style presentation there are certain little mistakes that you wouldn’t see in any professional documentary. Such as voice clips of certain characters playing with no indication of who they are and a decidedly messy ordering of events. Creating a feeling of redundancy and repetition at times.
But it’s okay. This is a watchable movie. Completely average for the most part but a good option for anyone looking for more Lake Mungo style horror. I just wish it had a few ideas of its own. The ending promises a sequel continuing the story of Gary Hinge but that is not what we got with the follow-up Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva. We will be reviewing that tomorrow.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- The Mystery: Basing the plot on the Kenny Veach disappearance provides a strong, grounded foundation that is inherently interesting.
- Final Sequence: The found footage at the end of the film manages to build legitimate tension and offers a few genuine chills.
- Atmosphere: The film does an excellent job of making the vast, open desert feel incredibly claustrophobic and hostile.
The Bad
- Lack of Originality: From the documentary style to the character beats, the film feels like a carbon copy of superior found footage entries.
- Acting: Several performances feel stilted and unconvincing, which can occasionally break the immersion of the mockumentary format.
- Technical Flaws: Messy editing and unidentified voiceovers give the production a slightly unpolished and amateurish feel.
The Ugly: The “Internet Commenter” subplot. The film accurately depicts the toxicity of online communities that can pressure people into dangerous situations for entertainment.
Should You Watch Horror in the High Desert?
Yes, if you are a fan of the mockumentary sub-genre. It isn’t going to change the world of horror, but it is a perfectly serviceable mystery that delivers on its low-budget premise. It’s a great “snack” movie for a quiet evening, especially if you haven’t yet explored the real-life lore it’s based on.
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