Black Mountain Side (2014) User Reviews

Not a blockbuster or main event movie, but Moody and Atmospheric

[Rabh17 · 6/10 · 28 May 2017]

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.

Falls just short, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a shot.

[JordanMichaelKoch · 6/10 · 5 March 2016]

I am a ten plus year super fan of John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). As such, this review and my opinion of the movie each reflect that fact. As fellow fans of The Thing know, any time you see the words isolated, paranoia, snow and horror, you get a little bit excited by the potential. This movie is one of the few that lived up to the potential of its all-time great setting. Other movies, like Thaw, Blood Glacier, The Last Winter and more fall short either from atrocious acting, poor conception, poor realization of a good pitch, poor effects or poor plotting. Sometimes they fail at every such level. Black Mountain Side did not fail. The acting is uneven, even poor at times. The dialogue feels forced and subpar at times, especially in the first thirty minutes. Certainly, however, it's not bad enough to completely destroy the movie. It gets a pass there. A narrow pass, but a pass. The real treasure of the movie is in its buildup. It doesn't resort to cheap tricks and jump scares to hold your attention early on. It takes its good time presenting the story and building the tension and suspense, and it keeps patient viewers wondering, but with enough subtle hints so as not to be a snooze fest. The premise is solid, the location is solid, the pacing is solid and the allusions to Lovecraft are solid. It hits all the marks and tropes of Lovecraftian horror marred only by subpar acting and dialogue. There are no stupid character decisions, no forced plot points and no movie-ruining political statements. It's just horror. Good, cosmic, Lovecraftian horror. So put on your acting blinders (they don't even have to be too big) and enjoy this slow-burning love letter to Lovecraft and The Thing. Unfortunately, as far as the rating goes, I can't give it a 7/10 as a whole. With stronger acting and a stronger script, it would have been a 7/10, but the acting and script weren't quite up to par as the concept and story. Still, this movie is going to get neglected because of those things when it really shouldn't be. If you're in the mood for wintery cabin/isolation horror, give this one a shot.

Didn't Live Up to Its Potential

[koltonbrett · 5/10 · 24 February 2022]

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.

A poor man's "Thing" with zero explanation given.

[fedor8 · 1 September 2020]

Nice icy scenery and a slick visual style can't do much to elevate the fairly poor story. A group of archaeologists are dealing with a strange virus from an ancient site, while being harassed by a deep-voiced deer who tries to manipulate them, have them killed off one by one.

The virus is only briefly discussed in detail, when we're told it turns cells to that of cephalopods. Which means the workers are being turned to octopussies. But that's just a dead end because nothing ever comes out of this plot-point.

The viewer finally gets his hopes up when the last survivor talks back to the deer/octopus thingy, demanding answers. So why does the deer/octopus/alien thingy want them harm? In a rare sci-fi/horror moment, one of the victims asks the alien/monster this question, but unfortunately gets no answer. Instead, deer/octopus thingy cops out by giving some silly speech in which it implies that it is in fact God and would you be so kind as not to ask stupid questions. Very lazy, laughable writing. Set up a mystery but give the viewer almost nothing: that's just doesn't cut it.

Especially when the plot moves so slowly. A poor imitation of "Thing" - where things happen and the viewer isn't treated like a child.

Predictably, everyone in the movie snuffs it. We don't know why, we don't know where the virus originates from, we don't know anything. And we don't know why they didn't film this in the found-footage style because everyone snuffs it. But I guess they would have struggled greatly to give all these characters an excuse to film what's going on. Not that found-footage films ever shy away from irrational explanations for the persistent filming.

Incredibly Stupid Movie

[damianphelps · 2/10 · 9 September 2020]

Its an awful film that fails to connect you with its characters.

It starts of slowly to set the isolation mood but after 10 minutes I was a bit over it. Then the story starts to develop and at this point its ok. We have met all the characters and they are largely an unappealing bunch.

Then the strange things start to happen, well not that strange as soon as you become aware that it is an awful ripoff/remake of The Thing,

And there you have it. Its The Thing minus everything that makes The Thing a classic. Charmless characters, lack of real tension and just a final act that is insipid.

Did I mention a Deer?

Just awful.

Worth a watch if you like weird horror...and don't mind an slightly indie flavor

[MovieFan-91319 · 7/10 · 7 February 2016]

Movie starts out with beautiful cinematography, believable dialogue, believable characters, and the kind of pacing I prefer in a 'psychological horror' film. I watch enough movies to recognize a smaller budget film, so I usually prepare for the worst when I see the markers for an indie flick, but early on, the unfamiliar actors and lack of orchestral soundtrack did not bother me. In fact, I liked the absence of music. Helped set a cold, uninviting mood.

Then about halfway through, when the big events start unfolding, the acting doesn't keep pace with the drama and frankly, distracts from a few of the scenes. Also, I'll be careful not to spoil anything, but on the big reveal, I really hoped for something different. Thought the choice they made there really hurt the mood they'd built so effectively. Went from 8 stars to 7 stars because I just couldn't take that part seriously.

To summarize, I liked the premise, (though this isn't the first time I've seen it...it's one of my favorite premises for a horror film), and I liked the general dialogue, the action, and resolution. I have a feeling they didn't have a huge budget, but they made a very solid, often bizarre, and at times creepy, horror film. Would really like to see what the writer/director/cinematographer could do with a bigger budget and more experienced cast.

Also, bravo to the filmmakers for not writing a bunch of fake reviews here. Seems a common trick lately, so thank you for letting the film stand on its own!

Very Unsatisfying

[djmrmusic · 3/10 · 16 February 2016]

This movie had potential, but it started out very slow and never really gained momentum. It could have been bout 20 minutes shorter without taking anything away from the story. Without revealing what happens at the end, I can tell you that you never really get any clear answers, and the director wants you to draw your own conclusions as to what happens to everyone. it left me very unsatisfied, and I would not recommend this movie to any of my friends or family. I have watched much worse, but I wish I would have taken a pass on this one. I watch very many low budget, indie, "B" movies, just hoping to find that hidden gem, and every once in a while I find one. this movie does not fall in that category.

Were you raised in a barn?

[albatex · 7/10 · 19 March 2020]

Anyone else bothered by the fact they never shut the flippin' doors behind them?

Watchable. It was fine until the end

[kijowh · 5/10 · 21 August 2018]

I found it interesting and was excited for some kind of explenation for everything that was going on, but the ending fell short...

A good and interesting horror

[ntse-kaambl · 7/10 · 9 April 2016]

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!

Better do your home chores than waste 1.38 hrs of your life on this

[rsharma9910 · 1/10 · 16 August 2020]

It is a washed down version of the thing, which later had an identity crisis and wanted to become c grade massacre movie. Acting is bad and so is the direction.

Very atmospheric with strong vibes of The Thing

[Xtento · 8/10 · 16 December 2017]

I had to register an account just to review Black Mountain Side and was appalled by the low rating as this is a very underappreciated movie.

I'm a big fan of The Thing - it's one of my all time favorite movies. I did not have high hopes for Black Mountain Side, but approx. 20 minutes into it, I could feel it oozing vibes from The Thing. It is clear that it is this movies main source of inspiration. The cold and remote location, a team of scientists, the mysterious illnesses, an unknown enemy and the strong lack of faith in who you can trust - it all comes together to create a very atmospheric horror thriller that I will watch many times over.

A tense but flawed slice of cosmic horror

[c_hookham · 7/10 · 24 October 2016]

In remote northern Canada a team of archaeologists uncover a mysterious structure so old it threatens to rewrite human history and in turn unleash am ancient horror on themselves. This lo-fi Canadian indie is like something straight from a HP Lovecraft novel - scientists uncover hidden past- hidden past screws with scientists and it's not a bad thing. The setting is beautifully rendered as a remote and alien landscape and despite its low budget effects do a decent job in creating a very tense and hallucinatory atmosphere. There are flaws - some of the dialogue is very clunky as are some of the performances and the ending will irritate many but if you're a fan of lovecraftian horror who isn't expecting cgi monsters or big Hollywood production values then you'll enjoy this trip into the mountains.

Could have been really good

[tmdarby · 3/10 · 21 February 2016]

I was really disappointed in this one. It was full of strange and creepy situations, and pretty good acting. It seemed very promising and could have been really good. The choice of the main "bad" thing was baffling though and I can only assume they ran out of money in the budget.

I normally don't offer suggestions on how to fix a movie, but I have just one for this movie. Instead of the bad guy being obviously a guy in a deer suit you picked up from a cheap Halloween store, you could have just even gone with a light, or no figure at all. The voice was creepy enough to carry the character. The hilarious deer suit sucked the creepy feel right out of the movie.

Good Use Of The Setting To Create An Appropriate Atmosphere

[sddavis63 · 5/10 · 18 August 2019]

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)

Is that it!

[trvdeadu · 6/10 · 10 March 2018]

Look this is a decent to slightly better than average movie, the tension is built nicely, confusion and uneasiness reign supreme with the possibility of some great revelation dangled like a carrot in front of the donkey that we am are most brilliantly. I was (not literally, it's not that good) on the edge of my seat by the time of the second amputation (sorry, spoilers?) but after the last frantic moments, it stopped. The great reveal was stupid, there was nothing "Lovecraftian" about this movie, it was more like Bambi on Ice and anyone who says it is really should go read Mountains of Madness or Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath to see what Lovecraftian actually means. I can see what they where trying do but it just comes across as "money's gone, to hell with this movie let's go home". An ok movie let down by an ending that was not worthy of the quite skilfully built sense of danger previously setup.

Incredibly bad ending typified an altogether bad movie

[arndtpaul · 2/10 · 1 November 2022]

A couple things happened in the movie that made me think of the movie " The Thing", such as the artic setting and what happens to a couple of the characters. But in the end, its its own movie with its own plot separate from "The Thing". And it doesn't come close to that horror classic. For starters, you have a couple scientists discussing something found in the frozen landscape, using terminology I'd never heard of which leaves the viewer with a puzzle about what this thing may be. Not far into the movie the viewer is told the camp has two weeks of rations left. We are given the impression the supplies never arrive, but 5 weeks later the men in the camp are behaving like supplies are no problem. Finally there is the incredibly bad ending with the sole survivor of the camp trying to escape by walking 90 miles in deep snow, with a mysteriously full back pack, accidentally getting killed. Overall, its simply a bad movie which I cannot recommend.

Could have been better

[antajia · 6/10 · 21 May 2016]

This movie had so much going for it but left with an unsatisfying ending.

First, I gotta give props to a horror movie that doesn't rely on jump scares. There's maybe 1 jump scare, if it can even be considered that but the rest is all tension and general creepiness. (Now that I can really respect in an age where people think jump scares are the only form of horror.) Yes, I even thought the deer was creepy, although there could have been more creative thought put into it to make it creepier but the voice for it makes up for that. And I like the lack of music in the movie as well. The stale silence increases the creepiness factor and fits well for an isolated environment like that.

It was an interesting premise, but I had seen something very similar in The Last Winter (2006). But the archaeological site made it stand out from that movie. I wish we got to see more of it and delve deep into the mythology and culture of that area. The beginning was a little slow but the archaeological stuff kept my attention long enough to get into the good stuff.

Finally, the major problem was the ending. The "Deer God's" intentions and motives were very vague but maybe it was just meant to be up for interpretation? But there is no overall feeling of the movie "ending", let alone being wrapped up. We don't get to see if the guy survives or not and that too may be up for interpretation but it just leaves the movie hanging.

Overall: it has all the creepiness and tension I look for in horror movies so it's so unfortunate that the ending is unsatisfying and there's too many things left unanswered. I hate when director's do that; as if leaving things vague and unclear makes your movie "deep" and "thoughtful" but it doesn't. If you're looking for a good horror movie that doesn't rely on jump-scares you'll really enjoy it but the ending may leave you very frustrated.

Nonsense

[camblumel · 2/10 · 17 December 2022]

I'm not sure why others rated this above 5 stars, 4 is pushing it.

I gave two stars for mostly acceptable acting but the writing, dialogue, and plot all conspire against anything these actors can do for this movie.

There are empty, or dead end plot points, no idea how the men got infected, and their 'infection' is turning them into 'lots of little cephalopods' ?? What the?! After first questioning how they got infected, the next question was how in the world and with what equipment did the 'doctor' run the tests that showed this 'infection' in the men's bodies? Not that it matters, because absolutely nothing comes of that, so I guess the writer just expects you to forget about it.

And the 'deer god'? It's dialogue is even worse. Non-sensical speaking and 'making' the men do bad things simply because it is telling them to. No sense that there is any mind control, or some other sort of control, the men are just like, 'He is MAKING me do it because he it telling me to!'. I get that they were trying to add suspense seeing the men turn on each other, but it all came across as way too rushed without any good explanation of why things unraveled so quickly in their minds. Turns out the deer head on the wall was the one actually speaking to one of the men, making him crazy.

Then the lone survivor has an actual confrontation with the 'deer god' , who now has a body and legs in the forest - i was expecting some sort of 'charge' or some other threatening movement since it had legs now, but nope, just stood there talking. I am guessing the writer tried to make what the deer god was saying as deep and philosophical but it just came across as 'Uhhh, WTF you say?' Seriously, I stopped it to rewind to listen to again, thinking I missed something but nope. Just gibberish really.

Then the deer god lets the lone survivor go and ... well, he starts walking to ... the reservation?

Seriously, the premise had potential, wasted on horrible writing, dialogue, and purpose for the big baddy. Sad attempt at horror and suspense. Don't waste your time on this, you will regret the time you invested in it.

I want to love it

[nick121235 · 7/10 · 31 August 2019]

Black Mountain Side (2015) Black Mountain Side is a slow burning, atmospheric film that mixes lovecraftian themes with paleolithic civilization. Upon reading that this was about a group of scientists in freezing cold nowhere, Canada that dig up a strange object that has sinister effects, my mind immediately went to Carpenter's The Thing as well as Mountains of Madness by Lovecraft. This particular group was researching very ancient civilizations which immediately gave me a thrill because in my opinion nothing goes together better than the ancient past and horror. And it's so rare to find a horror film that adequately delves into the subject. This film is an extremely slow burn that effectively builds tons of tension through both atmosphere and the oppressive surroundings but it can get extremely irritating when they don't go enough into subjects that would make the film either more interesting, more terrifying, or more symbolic- which I think should be important considering other themes. The slow pace also does nothing for character exposition and by the end it feels like Friday the 13th in the way that just so much dialogue has contributed nothing to the personalities of the characters as well as how the film begins to devolve into slasher territory. On the upside, the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and the more intellectual subjects of the script as well as the languid pace actually help in preventing this film from completely descending into anything cheesy or bad. This is a good film but it's also very frustrating because there are one or two changes they could have made to make it great and they just didn't. 7/10

Atmospheric Indie That Is Short On Ideas

[Lugodoc · 4/10 · 18 March 2017]

An indie must be low budget which necessarily means small cast, small sets, and few special effects, but it doesn't have to mean a meandering script and a weak ending. The cheapest part of any movie is the script so there is never an excuse for a bad one.

Cinematography and acting are good but there is no satisfying resolution. It feels like half a story, a few creepy random events cobbled together on the run with no convincing conclusion in mind. How could the crew spend months making this and not notice that?

"I can seeee you Jensen..."

[Gmork76 · 10/10 · 6 October 2016]

For some reason I find this movie amusing and quite interesting. The buildup with the amazing north Canadian landscape backdrop is similar to that of The Thing. Both films has cold remote locations where strange things slowly begin to happen. In this film what "The being/it", is left unexplained and it's up to you to figure it out. It is not as gory as The Thing but it has some moments that made it hard for me to go to sleep the night I watched it. It has something to do with that Deer 'Thing' that's making several appearances and utters some really corny lines but nevertheless is an eerie apparition to see in the dark. The film is filled with goofs, loose ends and a lot of unanswered questions. Some actors stands out and some are not so good. But mostly they are doing a good job capturing the paranoia and cabin fever'ish mood. Stupid goofs like, "we have two weeks worth of supply and gas for the generator" Why not conserve it? no use generator even during daylight. It's "50 below outside" yet we see a clear thawing :-D What happened to the squid infested arm that was chopped off? No explanation or examinations of that arm, why? And Why was the cat sacrificed? By whom? And finally, what was the deer "thing"?! A god? An alien? A manifestation of cabin fever ?

I watched this on Bluray, and it really gives the beautiful cold landscape it's own right.

Can recommend this. If you watch it with low expectations you might find it has a moment or two.

Well done

[cellocolin · 7/10 · 12 August 2020]

The story is classic demonology, with a Thing-like element of isolation and paranoia and just a little bit of Lovecraft. The acting and script are believable and fine, the cinematography is genuinely nice besides a few amateurish lens flares. Great mood piece.

The "voice" is massive cringe though, bad design decision to make it sound like that

Bafflingly Bad.

[tekhedpnd · 1/10 · 3 September 2020]

Acting is awful (for the most part). Writing was terrible, and is what truly killed it, just dead end after dead end, there was a moment where it was almost profound, but by that point nothing was going to save this film. The characters were as hollow as the were shallow, ruining any sense of tension or dread. This is a bunch of different concepts mashed together, and no one idea is developed enough to be satisfying in any way, which was very disappointing because if they had just picked one direction here it could have been a decent waste of time.

-50c no way!

[christiebowes · 4/10 · 4 September 2020]

Having lived in the north and through -50 nights, I am trying very hard to ignore the fact that none of these actors would have made it through day 1 if it was really cold out. No gloves, doors hanging open while they chat, running about with their jackets unzipped, no hats. Somehow the reality that they are all running about in about -5c early spring with water dripping from the eves just spoils the effect for me. Ironically it didn't need to be the dead of winter to be good ... so why????