Death Hike

Director - Damian Bishop (Valley of Carnage)

Starring - Sloppypapatv, Chief, and Anthony J.K.

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Format - Streaming (YouTube)

Rating (out of 5):

    Several months ago I was browsing social media for more indie horror when I came across a post on Instagram for the new shot on video horror comedy Valley of Carnage.  I saw it was available for free on YouTube so I checked it out and reviewed it.  As I was browsing social media again a few days ago I saw that the same company behind Vally of Carnage had just released another horror comedy short called Death Hike.  I reached out and was able to grab of a copy of both films to check out.  I really had fun with Valley of Carnage and couldn't wait to give Death Hike a spin.

      The film follows a group of young adults that decide to go camping on private property.  They assume that because the owners live out of state that they will not run across someone else.  They smoke some weed laced with Angeldust are start tripping balls but soon find themselves face to face with a masked killer that has turned the house on the property into his own slaughterhouse.  

     Valley of Carnage is a comedic love letter to S.O.V. horror.  It has ridiculous characters, fucking stupid but funny story, and some fun kills.  Death Hike has some humor but nowhere near ridiculous as the first.  It's a little more grounded but still knows how to have fun.  The acting in this one is a little more even than the first film.  Using almost the same cast as the first but portraying new characters, they deliver a comical performance but not as absurd as before.  I was actually impressed by the cast this go around.  Their lack of experience doesn't distract them from their characters.  The story for this one is you typical slasher in the woods.  The characters are cliched but they bring some humor and their personalities fill the screen but the story is pretty standard.  It doesn't necessarily follow the typical slasher tropes but is a slasher at heart.  We don't get a back story on the slasher who is killing those that wrong them like the classic slashers.  However, we do get a short, sweet, and simple film that follows a masked man killing those that wonder into his woods.  Finally, the film has some solid practical effects that I was not expecting.  The kills are pretty generic but the practical effects make them very fun.  Overall, Death Hike is a fun no budget backyard horror flick that has some laughs and plenty of heart.  It's far from perfect but it's very enjoyable.  Check it out.