Horror In The High Desert, 2021

The film centers on Gary Hinge, a hiker/survivalist who vanished in the high desert of Nevada. The faux documentary uses recovered footage to tell his story. Gary was a survivalist who often went on survival quests alone for days at a time and blogged about his experiences. This made him a controversial figure online.

What Happened To Gary Hinge?

Gary Hinge is an outdoor enthusiast and survivalist who disappeared in the Nevada high desert. His truck was found abandoned with his belongings in it and his severed hand was later found by campers, but his body has never been found. His disappearance sparked the interest of many people who were invested in finding out what happened to him. The film uses a pseudo-documentary style with fictional talking heads and beautiful landscape footage to tell the story of Gary’s disappearance. It focuses on his last trip before his disappearance and the events that led up to it. The story also draws inspiration from the real-life case of hiker Kenny Veach, who disappeared after he was lost in the same desert.

In one of his final YouTube videos, Gary discusses his fear of the eerie desert cave that he’d visited during his expedition. He claims that the place has an unsettling atmosphere and he can sense that something is nearby. He explains that when he visited it the previous time, he felt a strong sense of impending danger and was chased away by a deformed monstrous stranger. Hinge is a self-proclaimed expert on the natural world and has a huge following on his YouTube channel. He frequently travels to remote places to document the beauty of nature and share his adventures with his followers. When he went missing, his sister Beverly hired private detective William ‘Bill’ Salerno to investigate the incident.

During his investigation, Bill discovers that Gary had recently posted about his concerns regarding the safety of the deserted cabin where he’d been hiking. Upon seeing this, Bill begins to suspect that something is wrong with Gary. He tries to contact Gary by phone, but his number is disconnected. Eventually, Gary’s truck is found abandoned in the desert with his video camera still inside of it. After weeks of futile searching, new evidence starts to point to the possibility that Gary has been killed. His severed hand was found by a group of campers and forensic analysis shows that it was cut from the body while Gary was still alive. In addition, the deformed monster that attacked Gary was able to touch him, which indicates that the creature had some form of telepathic connection with him.

‘Horror In The High Desert’ Ending Explained

After disappearing in the Nevada desert, Gary Hinge left behind a number of clues including his own blog and footage that was filmed on one of his hikes. These clues eventually led to the discovery of his abandoned truck and the resurfacing of his final tape. ‘Horror in the High Desert’ is a pseudo-documentary style film that examines what really happened to Gary. It does this by interviewing those closest to him as well as by using a mixture of talking heads interviews and some actual footage from Gary on his hikes. The film opens with some stunning black and white footage of clouds moving over the Nevada desert before introducing Gary. The movie then introduces Gary’s blog and some of the skeletonized animals that he found during his hikes. The film then moves onto an interview with his sister and his roommate who try to uncover what happened to him.

During one of his hikes, Gary came across an unsettling cabin that made him feel a sense of impending doom and dread. He decides to share this experience on his online blog in order to get some feedback from his followers. However, instead of receiving a positive response, he receives a barrage of criticism and demands for further proof. This prompts Gary to return to the desert in search of that cabin, this time with the intention of recording it.

What he finds is far worse than anything he could have imagined. The cabin is inhabited by a strange man that Gary assumes is the owner of the property. The man is not only able to communicate with Gary, but also possesses the ability to make him do things that he does not want to do. The whole narrative hinges on this mysterious man and his final reveal. This is a good horror film that has some creepy moments and a nice twist at the end. However, the movie is a bit on the slight side as most of it consists of long interviews with some actual footage thrown in between. It does have some cool cinematography and a nice creepy atmosphere, but it would have been better if it was a little more focused. Despite this, the film is still worth checking out and fans of pseudo-documentaries should enjoy it.

‘Horror In The High Desert’ Conclusion

In 2021 writer-director Dutch Marich terrified found footage fans with Horror in the High Desert, a pseudo-documentary about the disappearance of survivalist Gary Hinge in Nevada’s high desert. Marich’s film perfectly blended talking heads, drone footage, and the found footage narrative technique made famous by The Blair Witch Project to arouse uncontrollable anticipation in viewers. Three years after Hinge went missing, his family and friends reunite in an attempt to uncover the truth behind his mysterious death. The film is a mockumentary through the first two thirds of the movie before seguing into the found footage aspect as the audience is introduced to Gary’s final moments before his disappearance. The movie is also notable for the fact that no two characters ever appear on screen at the same time, a reflection of the social distancing many felt during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ending of the film provides some answers but leaves a lot of questions unanswered. It is revealed that Hinge’s severed hand was uncovered by campers who were exploring the area where he disappeared. It is suggested that his attacker was a supernatural creature that was protecting a sacred site. This explanation could explain the cruelty of his attack and why his appearance was so eerily zombie-like. Moreover, it explains the smokey smell and dizzying music that accompanied his attack. The movie also references closed mine tunnels and Native American artifacts to suggest that the supernatural figure may have been a spirit from the area’s past.

Despite the open ending, the movie still manages to elicit an unsettling sense of dread in viewers. The movie does a great job of building tension through its use of the found footage format and beautiful landscape shots. The acting is also solid, especially from the lead actors Eric Mencis and Bess Haley. The movie is also a reminder that there is still life left in the found footage genre when it is done right.

‘Horror In The High Desert’ Rating

The found-footage genre may be out of vogue in some circles, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still produce a few chills when done right. And Horror in the High Desert proves that. Featuring a genuinely gripping finale, this 2021 American pseudo-documentary from writer/director Dutch Marich (Reaptown, Infernum) is a testament to the power of the format. The movie revolves around the mysterious disappearance of Gary Hinge, a survivalist and outdoor enthusiast who vanished in the Nevada desert three years ago. The film features interviews with his family and friends, as well as footage of his final moments. The film also makes use of the mockumentary style to present its story, complete with all the tics associated with it, such as breathless statements and a tease-and-repetition approach to build up suspense.

It is also a thriller, with long stretches of intimidating emptiness designed to incite a sense of crippling dread. This is all topped off by some truly unsettling moments, including a weird ululating cry in the dark and a gnarly-looking rattlesnake nest. Marich’s film is definitely not short on scares, but it doesn’t fully reach its potential. Despite the movie having a very low budget, it has managed to find an audience among fans of the genre, and a few critics as well. It has a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has received positive reviews from other outlets as well.

Conclusion

Although it takes a little too long to build up the tension before its big reveal, Horror in the High Desert eventually manages to pull off one of the more exciting twists in recent memory. While the final act’s inability to explain why Gary decided to keep filming can be a bit of a letdown, the movie is still worth watching for its genuinely creepy atmosphere and gripping finale. A pseudo-documentary that follows the inexplicable disappearance of outdoorsman and survivalist Gary Hinge, ‘Horror in the High Desert’ employs made up talking heads and gorgeous landscape shots to create a sense of verisimilitude. It then uses the ‘found-footage’ narrative technique popularized by The Blair Witch Project to create an intense sense of anticipation and to tap into the instinctive anxiety of being lost in the desert.