Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty (2025) Review – A Threadbare Sequel
Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A cynical and tired continuation of a franchise that has long since run out of steam. Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty abandons compelling storytelling for drab found footage segments and endless b-roll. While Suziey Block’s return is welcome, the film suffers from a lack of scares, a threadbare narrative, and a runtime that feels significantly longer than it is. It offers nothing new to the series, serving only to dilute the mystery further while setting up yet another sequel. The found footage segments are longer, less scary, and more prominent. The compelling interviews and world-build are minimal. Strictly for completionists only.
Details: Director: Dutch Marich | Cast: Laurie Felix Bass, Suziey Block, Canton Hayes | Runtime: 1 hour 17 minutes | Release Date: 2025
Series Reviews: Part 1 | Part 2: Minerva | Part 3: Firewatch
Best for: Die-hard fans of the franchise who just want to see the next piece of the puzzle, regardless of quality.
Worth noting: The film shifts the timeline back to the 70s and 80s, attempting a “vintage” aesthetic that is unfortunately undermined by digital crispness and aggressive filters.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video 🛒 (Sponsored), Apple TV
Rating: 1.8/5 Stars
(Exhausted formula, lack of scares, narrative filler)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing Dutch Marich’s Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty (2025).
Highlights
Another Entry In The Exhausted Found Footage Series
It probably goes without saying that Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty is the fourth entry in the found footage series Horror in the High Desert. You can read our thoughts on the previous iterations at the links in the quick verdict box above. Suffice to say, this is a horror franchise that is beyond exhausted. I’ve written this review specifically for those wondering whether this series still has anything to offer found footage fans. I can summarise the answer to that in one sentence: It’s more of the same but somehow less.
“Suffice to say, this is a horror franchise that is beyond exhausted. I can summarise this review in one sentence: more of the same but somehow less.”
The story takes place on a remote Nevada ranch (Majesty Ranch). A ranch that just so happens to be part of the same isolated high desert that was central to the earlier films in the franchise. A woman, Dolly Broadbent (Laurie Felix Bass) finds a long‑buried box on the ranch containing old documents, tapes, and evidence tied to her family. As she begins to research the information, it hints at a terrifying history of inexplicable phenomena in the desert around them.
For those who need a catch up, the first film focused on the disappearance of outdoor enthusiast Gary Hinge. The second movie promised to dig deeper but instead focused on two random women going missing. The third film, again, promised to offer up a few more leads but decided to tell a story about a random YouTuber covering the case, instead.
With that being said, it’s very understandable to go into Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty with some degree of trepidation. After all, Marich hasn’t exactly made a habit of delivering on his promises. Well, unless his promises are stretching this already thin concept for a horror movie until it’s completely threadbare. Each of these movies costs about $5 to rent, after all. Of the low budget indie stuff that I cover, that’s quite expensive.
A series with a lot of wasted potential
These reviews are beginning to sound like a stuck record. That’s due to the derivative nature of these films, though. The Horror in the High Desert movies follow a simple formula. They are presented in a documentary format complete with expert commentary, interviews with friends of the missing, and a massive amount of B-Roll. The interviews and b-roll are flanked by “found footage” segments. The found footage segments provide the bulk of the scares.
The overarching narrative follows the titular desert itself. A desert which is supposedly haunted and has played host to a number of disappearances. The disappearances seemed, at first, fairly isolated. As the movies have gone on however, they seemed to form a widespread web.
It all sounds fairly interesting and, at first, it genuinely is. The first movie is a well crafted and intriguing mystery. It has its issues sure, but it’s enjoyable. By now however, it is very clear that the story is spinning its wheels and moving nowhere fast. Each new film adds a new layer to the mystery but fails to progress the story in any meaningful way.
“This wouldn’t be such a big problem if the scares were good. Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty however, commits that most cardinal of horror sins in being derivative, dull, and completely lacking in scares.”
Instead of compelling lore dumping and story-building, we have more of the drab found footage segments. The interviews are pushed to the background, the b-roll feels less necessary, and the narrative dilutes more and more. This wouldn’t be such a big problem if the scares were good. Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty however, commits that most cardinal of horror sins in being derivative, dull, and completely lacking in scares.
It’s simply more of the same but somehow less
This is more of the same and exactly what you expect. The previous films focused on the recent past whereas Majesty is taking the story into a generational level going back to the 70s and 80s. Suziey Block returns as investigator Gal Roberts. It’s hard, at this stage, to not be massively impressed with her determination to solve this, frankly, very dull mystery. The generally capable cast are severely truncated from what you might expect in a mockumentary, though.
There’s only a few talking heads and the interview segments are fleeting at best. Majesty leans far more towards b-roll and protracted found footage segments over actually interesting world-building. I was shocked by how long these segments dragged on. They feature a few moments that might “get” viewers who are easily scared. They pale compared to the effective scares in the first film, though. It’s mostly walking over long distances and squinting to see things in the darkness.
The footage here is supposedly of a late-20th-century analog style. That’s a bigger problem than it might seem for those who value authenticity. This footage is crisp; far too crisp to be period accurate. Sure, Marich has slapped a filter over it to age it, but no footage from that time period would look like this.
I would love to see night time footage taken on consumer-level cameras in the 80s that looks this good. He also added the sound of a projector as ambient background noise but all that serves to do is highlight the overly aggressive sound mix. All this grain and the chugging away projectors feel like a dusty cover for some serious narrative thinness.
It’s just very dull and not a lot happens
Once you get past the interview segments, Majesty comes apart. It leans so heavily into walking around in the dark that it starts to feel like an Urbex YouTuber’s latest video. It even has the terribly placed “scares” that those types of videos have. A creepy doll crawling around in the middle of the desert… Give me a break! Even some of the creepy locations can’t save it.
You end up craving narrative the way a person in the desert craves water, only to be offered the occasional shimmer that vanishes the moment you get close. There are some vague attempts to tie things in with the events of the previous films. But it all feels like the writing of someone who never had a middle or an end to their story. At this point, I am sure Marich is making it up as he goes along.
“You end up craving narrative the way a person in the desert craves water, only to be offered the occasional shimmer that vanishes the moment you get close.”
The film ends with the promise of a fifth film. I couldn’t possibly be less enthused. The truth is, I kicked myself for putting off watching these films for so long. I am a huge found footage fan and love mockumentaries. I was the target audience but they simply feel like a cynical attempt to cash in on a title by stretching 15 minute shorts into 80 minute bores.
If you loved the previous films, it’s more of the same, you can’t go wrong. If you demand more from your horror, stay out of the desert.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Suziey Block: As always, Block is a highlight, bringing a grounded determination to the role of Gal Roberts that the rest of the film struggles to match.
- Die-hard Appeal: If you absolutely loved the previous entries and just want to vibe in the desert darkness, this provides more of that specific atmosphere.
- The Concept: Expanding the lore to a generational mystery in the 70s and 80s is a solid idea on paper, even if the execution falters.
The Bad
- Inauthentic Footage: The “vintage” 20th-century clips look far too crisp and digital, relying on aggressive filters rather than genuine period-accurate aesthetics.
- Zero Progression: The narrative spins its wheels, offering vague hints and widening the web without providing any meaningful answers or story development.
- Tedious Pacing: With reduced interviews and extended sequences of walking in the dark, the film feels like a boring Urbex YouTube video with weak scares.
The Ugly: The Cynicism. It feels like a 15-minute short film stretched into an 80-minute feature. It is a threadbare experience that suggests the franchise is running on fumes and cashing in on its name.
Should You Watch Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty?
No, unless you are a series completionist. It is a drab, repetitive entry that offers “more of the same, but somehow less.” The scares are non-existent, and the mystery has become diluted to the point of boredom. It’s not even a cheap rental. Save your $5.
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