Savageland is a 2015 mockumentary-style horror film that is directed by Phil Guidry, David Whelan, and Simon Herbert. It follows the aftermath of a brutal massacre that happened in a small town located on the border of Arizona and Mexico where thirty-one people, including women and children, were slaughtered in a single night. The film takes a unique approach by using faux documentary-style interviews, crime scene footage, and photographs to tell the story, similar to the format of a true-crime documentary.
The story of the movie starts a year after the savage killings. The only surviving suspect, an illegal immigrant named Francisco Salazar or Paco, was arrested and sent to prison. However, there are those who believe that he was not responsible for the murders and that a more sinister force was at play. The film sets out to find that truth.
The lead protagonist of the story is a photographer named Savannah (Heather Moor), who has been assigned the task of covering the first art exhibition featuring the photos of the victims. Savannah is initially skeptical about Paco's innocence but as she starts to go through his photos, she becomes more interested in finding out the truth.
Savannah is joined by three more characters. The first is a historian named Professor Winston (Lars Nielsen) specializing in border mythology, who provides a historical context to the events that led up to the massacre. The second is a young blogger named Charlie (J.C. Carlos), who runs a website dedicated to conspiracy theories about the murders. And finally, Paco's defense lawyer, who adds an element of legal drama to the mix.
As Savannah, Winston, Charlie, and Paco's defense lawyer start to investigate the case, they begin to unravel a conspiracy theory that suggests that the town may have been cursed by indigenous people who were massacred years ago by white settlers. This theory gains further ground, as they all start to claim that they have in some way been affected by the curse or have seen signs of the supernatural, be it the undead or the shadows or the faceless figures.
Savageland does not rely on cheap jumpscares or gore to create fear, but instead opts for a more eerie and suspenseful atmosphere, with its score and well-crafted camera shots setting the tone for the film. The characters are fleshed out well, and each of them has their own distinctive personalities.
The film has a lot of similarities with the found footage horror genre but does not suffer from the usual pitfalls that plague the genre. Instead, it takes a different approach and blends the feelings of true crime with the supernatural, ultimately making it more of a character-driven piece than a typical horror movie.
Overall, Savageland is a must-watch for anyone who is interested in horror movies that take a different approach. It is a well-written, well-executed film that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end, and the feeling of uncertainty it generates will stay with you long after the movie is over.
Savageland is a 2016 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 21 minutes.
It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.0.
