I like a good mockumentary and they’re a great fit for the horror genre even if there’s a comedy edge to them like What We Do In The Shadows (2014) I was flicking through what to watch and stumbled across this one which is based around the interesting subject of the Zone of Death in Yellowstone Park USA. It was time to sit down and see if this was a hit or if it missed the mark.
Directors: Julian T. Pinder, Adam Levins
Writer: Jeff Staranchuk
Star: Julian T. Pinder


There’s not really much else to explain about the plot without giving away spoilers hopefully that’s enough for you to decide if it’s your kind of thing or not!
The Good
- The elements of truth behind the Zone of Death are really fascinating, I spent a while looking round at various websites that talked about this loophole it was so interesting.
- The first 45 minutes that set up what happened to the victims and how the case unraveled in court is really well done.
- It’s not that important but there’s some really nice shots of the park.
- The iconic photo of the bear chasing a burnt buffalo.
- The look into the personal demons of the killer.
The Bad
- There are some stretches of the film that are quite boring with some pacing issues.
- I didn’t really like the ending too much.
- Not sure why they had the towns folk so unwilling to talk about it, seemed a bit silly to me.
Overall this seems like a bit of a missed opportunity, whilst the real life truths it’s based on are fascinating it’s just missing something. This could have been so much better and for a relatively short film it has some serious pacing issues, I don’t want action in a film like this as it doesn’t suit but it was still a bit of a struggle at times. It’s worth checking out if you’re interested in the Zone of Death, if not I wouldn’t bother.
Overall Rating – 5.5/10
The Zone of Death. I like the sound of that and the premise is interesting. It is always a pity when a film starts out with a great idea and then loses momentum. Perhaps a far better story, although it would not have been horror could have concentrated on the fact that the park sits in the caldera of a super volcano. Good review!
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cheers! I was surprised I hadn’t heard of it and even more shocked that the Zone of Death hadn’t been used in a horror before, it’s perfect for a generic dump a load of a people in an area and stream them killing each other over the internet type movie. God knows there’s been enough of them though!
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So true. Sometimes those films are good for just kicking back & forgetting the day!
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