YellowBrickRoad

OK, seriously, i just took the time to register JUST so i could post my review on this movie...from start until about 1 hour and 10 minutes into the movie it was great...really really great...these guys did an extremely good job staying on budget for this film...their mix of strange sound and cinematic views created a great suspenseful atmosphere...up until 1 hour 10 minutes the movie, in my humble opinion, is an 8...good movie...

HOWEVER...the ending is SO terrible that it actually brought my rating to a 3...i see other comments equating the Lynch-style ending to this movie but i have to disagree...

the ending is so muddied that the viewer feels robbed..the whole..."i just sat through this super-great movie to see it end like that???"...so cheap and open was the ending that it cant even be genre-ized...and i agree with other posters...it definitely stays with you...but not in a good way...in an annoying way...TOO many unanswered questions and plot holes...its not a tragedy...its not EXACTLY a horror...not TOO suspenseful..just.........weak..

bottom line..prepare for disappointment...

The first thing that comes to mind, for me, and many others that watched Yellow Brick Road is it's similarity to the old and great Russian film masterpiece "Stalker".

The premise of the film in Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker is very similar to the principle and initial concept to Yellow Brick Road, which is a trip into a mysterious "Zone" where the land and directions are twisted by dreaded anomalies in physics.

More so, the idea that all your answers could be found at the end of the road is not necessarily derived from the film "Wizard of OZ" as implied, but more so from the same premise of the film and book "Stalker" to which a room of sorts at the end of the journey can grant you your wishes and desires.

Yellow Brick Road not only has many of Stalker's principle concepts, but also the low-brush feel of the abandoned terrain as well, though Stalker, even in it's much older date, is cinematically far superior.

Yellow Brick Road is clearly influenced by such great psychological films such as Stalker & The Shining. (And far less by The Blair Witch Project to which it is too often compared to) And, in tow, it too, has a slow-burn, being a fine film that very gradually introduces you to the horror aspects of its plot.

So, if you're not patient, don't sit this one out. However if you are, you'll be pleased by the complexity and excellent execution of the film's mysteriously poised premise and interpretations.

Still, Yellow Brick Road departs from the Stalker recipe and moves into its own original motives, which are hunkered down by eerie yet sometimes, annoying horror motifs.

At times, this film seems torn between a science fiction theme and a horror one, and adds in a purposeful sense of mystery to it, with no intention of ever explaining the end.

The ending, in of itself, was clearly made with NO real definition; meaning that it was purposefully created to be interpreted differently by individual viewers. It is not a fixed or solidly explained ending, nor hints at any "credible" revelation either.

This is NOT a spoiler, but a simple warning that viewers will either love the surreal twist, or hate what's left to be personally interpreted.

Unlike newer and similar films with Hitch-And-Twist endings, such as "Vanishing On 7th Street", Yellow Brick Road leaves no hints at its lasting intention, other than portraying some of its characters as reaching a possible hellish demise.

Still, Yellow Brick Road is a rich and imaginative horror film that uniquely uses music and sheer creepiness to stir up much psychological scare tactics. It's also run on a small budget with actors of less than high caliber. However this does not take away from the strong performances and overall high quality of the movie.

If you like bizarre films and movies with a bit of a "Silent Hill" or "The Shinning" effect, this one is for you.

In 1940, almost the entire population of a town in New Hampshire mysteriously leave their homes, their belongings and even their pets, and head north along a trail into the dense wilderness. The corpses of those discovered are the only trace of what might have happened to the people of Friar. Many years later, Teddy Barnes and a team of researchers, pathfinders, historians and psychologists decide to follow the same trail and uncover the mystery of what happened in 1940. But what waits for them at the end of the trail - and will they survive to reach it?

I know what you're thinking. This is a movie about a group of people who, whilst following a mysterious trail through the wilderness in search of answers, begin to perish. It therefore must involve masked killers or mutated bears, right? Actually, no. "YellowBrickRoad" takes its inspiration from some of the classic older horror movies – such as "The Shining", "Deliverance" and the original version of "The Wicker Man" – and, instead of aiming purely for the eyes of the audience, it also aims for the mind. This is a slow-burning psychological horror filled with sights and sounds which get under your skin and worm their way into your brain; just as they do with the characters themselves.

That's not to say that there isn't gore or violence in "YellowBrickRoad". There are several scenes involving terrible, bloody things happening to people, but the film-makers shoot those scenes in a way that forces the audience to let their imaginations run rampant and fill in the gaps. It's not really these death scenes that will stick with you after the movie has ended, though. It's the way that "YellowBrickRoad" forces you to watch as the seemingly well-adjusted individuals to whom you're introduced at the beginning rapidly drift into insanity, rage, loneliness, brutality and utter confusion as the rules of reality change around them.

For a good portion of its running time, "YellowBrickRoad" is a creepy and unsettling story that fully preys upon our fear of the unknown. Without resorting to cheap scares, the movie accurately portrays how a group of people might act if they took too many steps northward and suddenly found themselves in the Twilight Zone. All of the main actors do a fine job and, despite working with an obviously limited budget, the directors utilise sound, along with moody, lonesome cinematography and the rustic setting to create a tense and spooky atmosphere.

Some may have a problem with the ending which perhaps veers a bit too closely into David Lynch territory, but I found it to be an interesting and apt way of closing the movie. For those who are fans of horror cinema, such as "Session 9" or "The Shining", in which the protagonists are confronted with something unknown and terrible that slowly burns away at their sanity and willpower, this may be close to essential viewing for you.

Bit of a mix between Lost and The Shining, I really enjoyed this actually. In fact I love it when I find a really low scoring film on IMDb that I enjoy! Quite creepy, incredible sounds / score, especially the constant old style music that plays incessantly through the woods, driving the characters insane.

Quite light in gore (no bad thing) but the few scenes there are are fairly shocking, especially the one seen from a distance, which was pretty chilling.

If I had to choose between Saw, Scream (any) or this, I would choose this any day.

Oh yeah I mentioned the sound already but its really good. Very atmospheric.

Been googling for 'meaning behind the film' type stuff since the DVD stopped, and that in my opinion is what a decent horror should make you do.

I watched this film when I was sick with bronchitis. I was glued to the couch, coughing and hacking, watching this movie and wondering if I was hallucinating, or if the movie was really this freaking weird. The answer is a resounding 'yes.' This movie really is extremely weird.

YellowBrickRoad is an assault on the senses, and I believe that was completely intentional. The visuals, the characters' reactions, the never-ending path, the hopelessness, the desperation, the cacophonous sounds-- all of these things created a unique and subtly terrifying environment. That said, I didn't necessarily find the movie scary, but I did find myself thinking about it for a few days after watching it.

But, I wanted to like the movie more. I wanted more substance. I love movies with an pseudo-historical backdrop, and I wanted to know more about the town's former inhabitants and the path. I guess I wanted a bit more investigation and a bit less acid trip. Yet, I was left with the impression that the semblance of an acid trip was the writers' and director's intention.

So, if you keep the film within its hallucinatory context of a deconstructed and wholly disturbing reality, you might glean some enjoyment out of it. Don't expect your typical horror fare, though, because this is a strangely unique plate that almost borders on experimental.