Ukrainian tour guide Uri convinces a group of American tourists to sign up for an “extreme tourism” experience while traveling across the Ukraine. The tour destination is Pripyat, a long abandoned city built close to the Chernobyl nuclear plant, which used to house employees before a catastrophic nuclear accident in 1986 forced all 50,000 inhabitants to abandon the city at a moment’s notice. Although reclaimed by nature the city remains largely intact (I looked at pictures online and would recommend doing so) and the group spend their day taking pictures and exploring abandoned apartments while marveling at the eerie post-apocalyptic surroundings. As the day grows long Uri tells everyone to pack it in but then finds that his (shitty) van will not start. Soon the group find themselves in a life and death struggle as they are plunged into darkness and forced to contend with wild animals and things that go bump in the night.
Setting a horror movie in an abandoned city in a foreign country is a stroke of genius. I would love to explore such a place (without the nuclear radiation and roaming bears – I’m just sayin’). Unfortunately director Bradley Parker eschews this amazing setting for chase sequences that largely take place in long, dark hallways and other claustrophobic situations. Admittedly this is a horror movie and horror movies often take place in long dark hallways and other claustrophobic settings but when you have an abandoned city as your backdrop it seems silly not to feature it more prominently. For example, how cool is this,
7 comments:
Some time ago the History channel ran a series called Life After People. One episode featured footage of Chernobyl and it was gloriously creepy. I was so looking forward to this film and will probably still watch it but that really is a shame that he didn't cash in on the setting like he should have.
On a side note, i was living in Japan when the Chernobyl incident took place. The Japanese people who know all too well the effects of radiation were completely freaking out. We lucked out and the wind was blowing the opposite way or we would have been covered in fallout. It was pretty scary at the time.
The entire movie should have taken place at that awesome abandoned amusement park.
Damn JPX, another swing and a miss. You seem to be having a rough Horrorthon this year. Aside from The Caller you've mostly come across duds.
Damn Cat, that's intense.
I read a novel that takes place around Chernobyl and it's pointed out that the area has become one of the world's biggest wildlife preserves because it's been abandoned by humans. Too bad about the radiation.
(There's another movie in there...)
Ha, I think you're going to end up tricking the careless blog readers! For those who just skim the reviews, they're going to see that cool shot fo the amusement park and decide this looks like an awesome movie...
And get Julie working on the radiated animal park script, Octo!
Cat's story and the potential radiation plagued animals script sound like more of a hit then this movie. What a bummer.
...and that was me, not him.
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