Terrortory (2016) Reviews

• To really enjoy the movie, you have to respect low-budget filmmaking.

  Hellmant2016-11-02

  'TERRORTORY': Three Stars (Out of Five) An ultra-low-budget anthology horror movie, telling six different supernatural tales. It was written and directed by three indie filmmakers; Dan Doran, Kevin Kangas and Mark Wenger. It stars a cast of completely unknown actors. The film is pretty cheesy, and amateurish, but there are a few quality elements to it; especially considering how low-budget it is. The movie centers around a couple that's trying to entertain each other, while waiting for the electricity to come back on during a power outage. The guy (Brad Masters) tries to impress his female friend (Laura Kiser), by telling her five very bizarre scary stories. Each supernatural tale revolves around different people being stalked, and killed, in the woods. The segments are titled 'Gotz', 'Siren', 'The Prowler', 'Smiling Jack', 'The Drone Collector' and 'The Midnight Clown'. At first the film was pretty painful to watch (full of atrocious dialogue, nonsense stories, and bad acting); but as it went on, I started to notice several elements I liked to it. I think to really enjoy the movie, you have to respect low-budget filmmaking; being an ultra-low-budget filmmaker myself, this is something I can do. The movie is pretty bad, in comparison to mainstream horror flicks, but for a next to no-budget film, it's not that horrible (some of it is kind of cool). Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/MPT8bbqblmM

• This is what actors do for free when they can't find paying work

  vasiln2016-10-04

  A couple tells each other scary stories until the lights come back on: a hunter encounters a siren in the woods; a slasher terrorizes a group of actors in the woods; a horde of drones hunt down hikers in the woods; and a clown kills more actors in, you guessed it, the woods. Compared to movies made by brand new filmmakers, on a behind-the-sofa-cushions budget, filmed over the course of a few weekends in the neighboring trails, widely released to just about anybody that will show it, Terrortory is better than might be expected. So, filmmakers, please don't be discouraged, and please keep trying. Compared to feature length horror films, with budgets that don't need a decimal point, intended for theatrical release, Terrortory isn't good. Youtube quality production values, without any real charm or originality to compensate. The actors were mostly competent, but they couldn't save the film on their own.

• Is that a clown?

  nogodnomasters2017-09-24

  The film is an anthology of 5 tales told while a young couple vacations. They all involve the woods in Maryland.The film opens with an interesting map. The five original tales (for the most part) tended to be amateurish without great endings. The camera work was suspect. The acting wasn't great with perhaps the best made feature was "Smiling Jack." I liked Melissa LaMartina. One episode included adult star Nadia White for the token topless scene. The first episode has nude model Meadow Bosworth in a see-through gown wanting meat. The film showed some clever writing, unfortunately the execution left something to be desired. There also needs to be an episode that ties them all together, something more than a map. Guide: F-word, sex, nudity.

• Second Viewing

  jpmellow2019-01-28

  I revisited the original Terrortory tonight. Since my first viewing, I've fallen deeper into the rabbit hole that is microbudget indie filmmaking, specifically of the horror variety. I "get it" now, and I'm a fan. You can't come into this expecting a polished film with seasoned actors (although a few are quite good). What you can expect is a fun, well-written script, some legitimately weird, scary monsters with their own memorable trademarks (DID YOU BRING ME MEAT?), some nice camerawork, a pretty terrific score, and a palpable love for the genre. Even if there's a segment in this anthology you're not super impressed by - for me, it's 'The Prowler,' - a new one starts up before you know it. For me, it's the writing in 'Smiling Jack' and the nightmarish weirdness of 'Gotz' that make this one of my new favorites. Support these for-the-love-of-moviemaking filmmakers! There's a lot here to admire.

• Poorly made, but still sort of charming

  jdollak2016-10-17

  I'll watch any horror anthology. My standards are usually pretty low for them, since I only expect a modicum of cleverness. I liked this, in a strange way. It's not well written. Too many of the segments seem thematically similar. There are some technical problem, like some poor photography and especially some poor sound work. But it doesn't come across like it's trying too hard. And there's a sense of fun that spreads across the whole thing. These seem like everyone was usually having a good time. The acting is unremarkable, in a poor way. But it doesn't reach the level of being truly bad. These look like people who never intended to make acting a career - they're doing these short films for fun. More importantly, the stories are usually pretty predictable, but there's usually a little twist that I didn't see coming. Smiling Jack? The sequence where he "eats" isn't a detail I expected. The oddity of the scene with the guy watching the couple in the tent? It's strange, and I'm pleased that I didn't expect to see that in this movie. I can't say this is a worthwhile watch for casual viewers, but I think it's got something to offer fans of the genre. It might be forgettable, but it's a little more charming than dull.