Black Mountain Side
Eric S Brown
Released in 2014, Black Mountain Side is an independent film shot and produced in Canada. The company that made is called A Farewell To Kings Entertainment which one has to wonder if their name is a nod to the classic Rush album and if so, it’s certainly fitting. The plot is simple and one that has been done many times over- A team of secluded scientists have discovered an ancient structure buried in the Earth, something that shouldn’t be as old as it is. Cut off from the world, the scientists are left attempting to cling to their sanity as bizarre and deadly things begin to happen at their outpost.
While the film isn’t a direct adaptation of any particular H.P. Lovecraft story, it’s Lovecraftian through and through. The scenery of the remote base is beautiful on screen and the atmosphere is much like John Carpenter’s The Thing. The evil force that hangs over the outpost is powerfully felt from the well delievered performances of the actors and builds throughout the movie. The tension becomes almost tangible to the point for some viewers it might be hard not just skip ahead in some of the slower scenes. That said, the pacing overall is spectacular as the film plays out almost like a series of journal entries spanning just over a month.
The climax of Black Mountain Side is well worth the wait however. The film pays off delivering pure Lovecraftain horror on a truly cosmic level at its conclusion despite its limited budget. Any fan high brow horror or the Cthuhlu mythos is sure to enjoy Black Mountain Side and rank it up there as one of the best Lovecraft movies ever made.
