Donner Pass movie review (2012)

Donner Pass (2012)

Brief review: Teen slasher meets cannibalism in this low-budget horror film inspired by the campfire legend of 'The Donner Party' tragedy back in 1846. "Donner Pass" uses this unfortunate event as a gimmick, thinking that's a winning move, but truth to be told, it never works in its favor, not even for a moment. The whole plot is as absurd as it's stupid, and the movie itself becomes more and more nonsensical as the story progresses, leading to a ridiculous conclusion with one of the most laughably bad twists ever put on film. Set in a remote fancy cabin deep in the woods, surrounded by a snowy environment, "Donner Pass" is at least nice to look at. However, the plain, unpolished cinematography makes it look too inexpensive and uninteresting, visually. The gore effects are passable, even if the gore itself isn't particularly satisfying in terms of graphicness and frequency. Worst of all, there's nothing even remotely frightening or creepy about this film, which fails to provide even cheap thrills and boo scares. Actually, there is one dreadful thing about "Donner Pass", and that is the acting. Apart from Desiree Hall, who delivers the only decent and believable performance as the reasonable Kayley, the rest of the performances range from amateurish to annoying. 99% of the characters are so dumb and shallow, and act so unnaturally and illogically, you'll find yourself begging to see them all dead.

Overall summary: Cliched, poorly-made, terribly-acted and lacking in any thrills whatsoever, "Donner Pass" is yet another 'urban legend'-inspired horror flick with very low entertainment value, that brings absolutely nothing new to the table in terms of fresh ideas.