Follow the Yellow Brick Road

YellowBrickRoad is a horror/thriller that was released direct-to-DVD in 2010. The film was directed by Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton.  The premise of YellowBrickRoad revolves around the mystery of Friar, New Hampshire.  In 1940, all 572 residents of Friar, New Hampshire up and left their houses and disappeared on the suitably named "YellowBrickRoad" trail.  Years later, the US Army recovered the remains of about 300 of the residents, who had all succumbed to exposure to the elements. The government decided that this odd occurrence should be forgotten and in time the town of Friar was repopulated and the tragedy that befell the stoic town became nothing more than an urban legend. The mystery of Friar, NH had remained unsolved for 68 years until a film crew decided to document their travels to Friar to solve the mystery. As the group progressed down the seemingly harmless trail, its nefarious nature makes itself known in the form of mental deterioration for the helpless travelers, proving that the legend of Friar, NH is no fairy tale.

 The movie boasts no famous actors: Daryl and Erin Luger, the husband and wife who spearhead the expedition, are played by Clark and Cassidy Freeman, respectively. Laura Heisler plays Liv McCann, an adolescent who lives in modern-day Friar, New Hampshire and helps the film crew navigate the treacherous trial. Tara Giordano plays Jill, the Lugers' fumbling intern.

Running slightly longer than 90 minutes, the movie progresses at an excruciatingly slow pace, causing the audience to feel as if the movie is longer than it is. The film received 4.5/10 stars from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). This statistic is based off of fifty-three reviews, four of them coming from the prestigious members of the Metacritic community. The film's poor rating can be attributed to the majority of the film's scenes, which follow the expedition listlessly through the back-country of New Hampshire with no real tension-building or "spook" scenes. Although it's hard to deny that the beauty and grandeur of New Hampshire's sprawling forest is something to envy, folks want fear and terror in a horror movie, not awe.  That being said, the interesting aspects about this film is how it utilizes the musical score and psychological trauma projected upon its character to build suspense and scare the audience, rather than use visual aspects such as canted angles, editing techniques, or gore.

This film is not recommended for audiences that want cheap scares and torrents of blood. More so, this film is recommended for hardcore movie fans, whether they like horror flicks or not. Albeit slow, the film is riddled with symbolism and horrors that would not be as effective if created visually. For those who can bear the sluggish pace of the film, the ending is sure to crumble the stability of your sanity and lead to a very unrestful night's sleep.