The Long Dark Trail (2022) User Reviews

Along the Trail of Boredom

[jaredjheltemes · 3/10 · 22 February 2023]

The film follows two young boys, desperate to escape their abusive father, as they seek out their mother through the wilderness of Pennsylvania. However, their journey takes a dark turn when the older brother, Henry, develops a strange patch of skin on the back of his neck and begins to act increasingly erratic. As they traverse the woods, the brothers encounter unexplainable signs, raising questions about what they're really up against. Will they ever reach their destination?

While the movie attempts a stylish approach by dividing the story into eight chapters, it feels disjointed and slows down the pacing. The overall production is low-budget, and the acting is not very convincing. Although the movie seems to aim for a deeper meaning, it struggles to articulate a clear message, leaving the audience feeling unsatisfied by the end.

The horror elements in the movie come across as cheesy and fail to create a truly scary atmosphere, making it feel more like a high school film project than a professionally produced feature film. Overall I would skip this one.

Interesting

[BandSAboutMovies · 3/10 · 16 February 2023]

After two teenage brothers manage to escape their abusive father, they embark on a journey in the hope of finding their estranged mother who has joined a sadistic cult deep in the woods of Northwestern Pennsylvania. Like Erie, maybe?

Directed and written by Kevin Ignatius (a Pitt grad) and Nick Psinakis, this story of Henry (Carter O'Donnell) and Jacob (Brady O'Donnell) finally getting to find their mother and perhaps going from frying pan at home to fire in the outside world. The performances feel very amateur in places, yet the visuals are strong with gorgeous forest scenery and solid cinematography. I wish everything else was as well-done as that, as the story both seems too fast and too slow at the same time. This is a roundabout way of saying that the pacing is off.

That said, if you'd like some wandering around in the occult-filled woods, The Long Dark Trail can lead you to that. I'd like to see what Ignatius and Psinakis keep doing as there's definitely some talent here, even if I didn't enjoy all of this. The effects are always pretty nice, so there are definitely moments worth watching here, despite some of the things I've called out.

Awful

[delores052 · 1/10 · 9 December 2022]

I'm a sucker for 'horror' movies. So I check out as many as possible.

Where do I start on this one?

The premise was interesting but the execution was dropped. Acting was pitiful. Lighting was nonexistent. Boys stayed in the woods for days yet on the burial bluff a town was just down the mountain. No explanation for at least 2 scenes plus one of the boys neck injury. Like it was threw in for dramatic footage.

Also one of the teens had a full on beard , so it was a stretch for him to be underage. No clue who directed or wrote but let me add this is a top 5 worst for me. And I've watched many!

Could've been better.

Fine for what it is but still somewhat problematic as a whole

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 5/10 · 19 March 2023]

After escaping from their abusive father, a pair of brothers set out to embark on a journey into the woods to find their mother who's joined a deranged cult, but the closer they get to finding her they find themselves at the mercy of their leaders' dark hold over the rest of the cult.

Overall, this one is decent enough but does have some big issues. One of the main factors for it is the rather eerie atmosphere featured throughout here as the two go about their journey. As their journey together is based mainly on them wandering through the wilderness trying in vain to stay safe while staying ahead of the violent visions that the older brother experiences depicting all manner of vicious encounters and visions with the main cult which bring about some great scenes here. As there's an uneasy quality to things the deeper into the woods they go and get closer to finding her, the change in tone that arises once they get to the compound offers up some chilling scenes with the finale generating a highly effective and enjoyable series of encounters that's enough to make for a generally fun time here. There are some big issues with this one which is all pretty much a one-note occurrence throughout here with the dire pacing of this struggling to maintain enough storyline beats to last as long as it does. This is in desperate need of either trimming down to an anthology-style segment or some more fleshing out with the characters and their motivations as very little of this one manages to invoke any kind of fear with it basically being extended scenes in the forest of them together with an odd flashback remembering what their father did to beat them and the occasional glimpse of something in the woods with them. That only works so much before it grows repetitive and tiresome as this one relies on that can make for a draining effort here that doesn't completely derail this one but does bring it down.

Rated Unrated/R: Language and Violence.

An interesting experiment

[rlblackink · 9/10 · 22 December 2022]

First off, the score for this film is unbelievable. The use of music to generate mood and increase the intensity is A+. If you're like me an follow movie film scores and focus on music this is a must watch.

Secondarily, it is an experience. I don't believe you watch this with a linear narrative in mind but more so as a fever dream with a series of uncomfortable and disconcerting experiences. I had a lot of fun watching this one.

It feels very independent, for sure; as far as the types of performances you get from the actors. The scenery and cinematography are amazing. Not sure what equipment they used to film but they were able to perfectly capture the beautify of rural Pennsylvania.

Overall, it is a fun romp and something every independent horror movie fan should check out.