Synopsis: Donner Pass has a well-known and gruesome history – the place where George Donner and his party of settlers got stuck in the winter of 1846 and had to resort to cannibalism to survive. Some say the Donner Party left its mark on those mountains. They say a curse remains to this day – a hunger that can make anyone capable of unspeakable evil. For seven teens that head up for a ski weekend, it’s just a scary story to tell around the campfire. But when one of the group turns up not only dead, but half-eaten, they’re forced to confront the possibility that the legend may be true.
Review: “Donner Pass” begins with four teenagers heading off to the snowy mountains of Donner Pass for a fun getaway, all the while discussing the legend of Donner Pass, with murders and cannibalism. While the first ten minutes or so sets the scene with identifying the characters, the down- to earth girl, the bitch, and the outcast, it’s also very deceptive. You see, at the outset, the audience feels like it too may be taking a trip down a very familiar road of crash and burn teen slasher movies. However, “Donner Pass” takes a slightly different turn.
The film, written by R. Scott Adams and directed by Elise Robertson, has a few more layers, subplots and intricacies than others in this genre. With that said, one of the areas the film is strong on is character development. This is not to say there aren’t a few one dimensional characters, but don’t these one dimensional characters exist in every high school? Yes, they get picked off pretty quick, as you might expect. However, it’s a thriller with several different “villains.” The main characters of Kayley, Mike and Thomas are pretty well developed, as well as acted. Erik Stocklin give a particularly standout performance as Thomas. Thomas is the mild-mannered outcast, who reveals his true colors in the end.
With that said, “Donner Pass” has all the elements horror fans love, suspense, unpredictability, and of course, blood. All of these aspects actually engage the audience. As far as the gore in the film…it’s there, but we don’t get to see many of the actual kills. We mostly see the after effects of the kills. However, I would also like to mention that the special effects on the corpses are pretty good, especially for an independent film. All in all, “Donner Pass” is a solid horror film that many fans will enjoy. Seriously, it’s about cannibalism…who can resist that?
