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Cassidy Freeman, Anessa Ramsey, Clark Freeman, Lee Wilkof, Laura Heisler ... see more see more... , Alex Draper , Michael Laurino , Tara Giordano , Sam Elmore

In the Fall of 1940, the entire population of Friar, NH abandoned their homes and walked up an ancient trail, never to be seen alive again. Their fates have remained a mystery for over 70 years, until... read more read more... a team of researchers discover the trailhead and attempt to track the path the doomedcitizens of Friar took. Yellowbrickroad is a return to the slow burn, character driven horror thrillers of the 1970s. -- (C) Official Site

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31% liked it

1,069 ratings

Critics

40% liked it

15 critics

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton

Release Date: June 1, 2011

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DVD Release Date: August 2, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (139)

  • LWOODS04
    November 1, 2011
    LWOODS04
    Cast:Cassidy Freeman, Laura Heisler, Lee Wilkof, Anessa Ramsey, Clark Freeman, Alex Draper, Tara Giordano, Michael Laurino, Sam Elmore

    Director:Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton

    Summary: In this indie horror offering from writer-directors Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton, a small t... read moreeam of explorers heads into the New Hampshire wilderness to investigate an unexplained disappearance that happened some 70 years earlier. No one knows why the residents of Friar made a collective decision to leave their homes -- without their money, their clothes or a word about where they'd gone. But the truth could be stranger than fiction.

    My Thoughts: "Long, boring, and absolutely no thrills or scares. At least not for me. I had a hard time keeping my fingers from pressing the stop button. An antagonizing film that just leaves you frustrated for renting it in the first place. But that's what I get for being intrigued by a title and cover of a DVD. The story may have been better if directed and acted by different people. But it wasn't and that's why I would rather watch an episode of Barney then to have to sit through this film again."
  • moviewaffle
    January 29, 2012
    moviewaffle
    This movie has a great premise; in the thirties the residents of a small town disappeared after wandering on a trail. Now a documentary team discover the location of the trail and set off themselves to investigate, becoming more and more unhinged as they go. This promising idea i... read mores ruined by amateurish acting and directing and awful effects. A rare case of a movie that could be improved with a big budget remake.
  • ryguy4738
    August 8, 2011
    ryguy4738
    3.5/10

    Whenever I write a negative review for a low-budget, independently-made horror film, I'm not lacking in encouragement towards the filmmakers. By all means, I do encourage indie films to be made in spite of their flaws. They can lead to eventual success. Or they ... read morecan lead to more failure. And if they make money, that's great. There are many horror fans and they eat these kinds of films right up. I've seen indie horror films that are possible to like as well as ones that are possible to despise. And now, "YellowBrickRoad" decides to come along, and it's a particularly unpleasant experience.

    But that's the point, right? The film is supposed to be atmospheric and unsettling. It is very-much interested in its setting, but not so much for its characters. Shame about that; here is a film that has a pretty good premise, but it runs the formula that it's based around into the ground. It's not fun to watch and it's not necessarily deserving of all the attention it's been getting. But it doesn't surprise me that the folks at Bloody Disgusting, the popular website devoted to horror films, did most of the advertising. But in the end of the day, that doesn't mean too much.

    In Friar New Hampshire, it is said that the ENTIRE population of the place just walked out of town and into the woods; following a trail that they believe will lead them to some sort of God. They never returned. And nobody knows just what happened to them, but that's why a film crew goes hiking on this trail to uncover the truth; as all curious movie-hikers do.

    It's been seventy years since all the people disappeared, so maybe whatever got them isn't in the woods anymore. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that the film's cast of characters goes on this journey into the depths of the woods anyways; without questioning, and without reasoning. I would have just stayed away.

    The film has two directors. One of them is Jesse Holland, and the other is Andy Mitton. The two also wrote the film together. As directors, the two men seem to focus a lot on characterizing their forest rather than the human beings hiking in it. Expect some bleak, but somewhat beautiful shots of the wilderness and such, but not much more. I wouldn't tell you not to see the film, and if you do see it, you might want to just for what the filmmakers are trying to do.

    However, trying and doing have never been the same thing, and this is why "YellowBrickRoad" fails so miserably. What it tries to do is build tension and atmosphere rather than use just a whole lot of blood-and-gore, but this approach is almost becoming a pretension among filmmakers. Some people can make a film that is good, and doesn't need gore; others cannot. For instance, Ti West's "The House of the Devil" was all build-up, and yes, it did have a bloody finale. But I liked that film for reasons other than the ones that pertain to why I dislike this one. It gets what makes a good, tense thriller and what makes a bad one. The directors are too inexperienced to glorify this material and bring it to anything worth talking about. The result is overly talky and overlong (and I say that in spite of the nearly-100 minute run-time, which isn't long at all, but oh boy: it certainly feels like it is).

    In the end, the film didn't give me enough reasons why I should be awake. There's one scene that literally attacks the viewer with sounds, sight, and insane madness. This scene was meant to be artsy, much like the rest of the film, but instead it's just trying to keep us awake by force; and that's bad, bad, bad. The flick is nothing more than a very, very bad excuse to show people going into the woods, investigating, going mad, and killing each other. There aren't enough good reasons to go on this long, treacherous walk in the woods. Save yourself some time and attention and see something like, say, "Insidious". If this year continues as it is, for the horror genre, then it's going to be as bleak as an independently-filmed trail in the forest.
  • Junnerayemalinao2012
    July 28, 2011
    Junnerayemalinao2012
    The premise is not that fresh, the pacing is so slow, the deaths are ridiculous and so is the enigmatic ending.
  • piranhaa72
    September 6, 2011
    piranhaa72
    A cross between Blair Witch and Session 9 (if you haven't enjoyed neither, you won't like this for sure) with a nice slow pace that has an intriguing premise and delivers for the most part, though the last act is overly long and fails to creep you out like the first "crazy" momen... read morets. Could be much better if the last act kept the rythm of the middle section and if that ending was explored a bit more (though keeping it vague and in lines with Oz's mythology tone was a wise decision),
  • pacardullo
    February 13, 2012
    pacardullo
    Psychological horror shows promise, but towards the middle, the characters start to grate on you and the film begins to lag. They do get an extra 1/2 star, though, for NOT going with the "found footage" approach.
  • andersoj2
    December 31, 2011
    andersoj2
    A bizarre and offbeat psychological horror movie with some pretty big flaws. The length feels staggering given the subject matter and extremely slowly burning plot, and it leaves so many unanswered questions that the movie almost has no payoff.
  • fb677587177
    December 17, 2011
    fb677587177
    This film is too disjointed and confusing for me to feel justified in giving it a rave review, but there's something strangely fascinating about it nonetheless. Really, my biggest problem with it was the incredibly fake New England accents. Why can no one pull those off? But besi... read moredes that, I thought this was well-acted, and although it's painfully obvious the budget was almost nonexistent, this is quite a well-made independent film. Don't watch it if you don't enjoy movies that are hard to follow, though, or if you think a huge budget is necessary for an entertaining movie.
  • gtrsplace
    November 29, 2011
    gtrsplace
    this has to be THE worst film I have ever seen. almost fell asleep in the first 30 minutes, oh how I wish I had. A complete waste of time. Hell, I`m wasting my time even writing about it. Not any more.
  • TammiOblivion
    November 12, 2011
    TammiOblivion
    Low budget and longwinded, this sci-fi/horror thriller tries to be too much like Blair Witch and takes forever to make its point. Some spooky moments though, as a team of filmmakers set out to produce a documentary about a mysterious trail which leads people to my favorite place... read more: Oblivion.

View All Yellowbrickroad Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ethan Gilsdorf
June 10, 2011
Ethan Gilsdorf, Boston Globe

Despite us tagging along the trail for days, we feel closer to the landscape than to the characters. Full Review

G. Allen Johnson
June 2, 2011
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

"Yellowbrickroad" is without personality. It's competently made, but the cast and direction are just bland. Full Review

Tom Long
June 2, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

As cheap horror fare goes, YellowBrickRoad emphasizes imagination over gore. This is good, because the gore here is somewhat laughable, while the imagination is just creepy enough to be effective. Full Review

Brian Miller
May 31, 2011
Brian Miller, Village Voice

The film is caught in the fatal demographic desert between the Scream and Baghead crowds -- neither funny nor quirky enough to sustain interest during its long march. Full Review

Roger Moore
May 28, 2011
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Co-writer/directors Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton miss as many opportunities as they develop here, but they maintain the mystery and ratchet up suspense like seasoned pros. Full Review

Dennis Harvey
July 6, 2010
Dennis Harvey, Variety

Underwhelming finish explains zilch, but good perfs, atmospherics and use of backwoods locations make Yellowbrickroad an intriguing cipher. Full Review

Victoria Alexander
August 31, 2011
Victoria Alexander, FilmsInReview.com

Clever and packed with smart characters. Full Review

Staci Layne Wilson
August 1, 2011
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com

In the end, YellowBrickRoad is just another pathway for people who go into the woods, go crazy, and get killed. Full Review

Jeremy Heilman
July 14, 2011
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com

YellowBrickRoad not only offers a mystery with no solution (which isn't such a terrible thing by itself), but also a story with no clear sense of purpose. Full Review

Michael C. Walsh
June 2, 2011
Michael C. Walsh, Boston Phoenix

We arrive at something resembling a mid-'90s Marilyn Manson music video. Just bizarre. Full Review

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