By Mark Young
I like a film that comes in and set’s its stall out right from the beginning. It’s a traumatic start in the opening 4 minutes and is one that you hope doesn’t represent the high point for the next 2 hours you are going to spend in its company. Obviously, there has to be that moment when first gear is engaged and you gradually apply pressure, the whole thing moving forward in a slow and measured way. Two estranged siblings come together in an effort to move on from an event that has led them both to retreat away from one another. As is the case with our favourite genre, its decided that the best way to reconcile is to throw themselves into a situation where if something was to go wrong, its going to royally go wrong.
Something like a woodland hiking expedition. One where there are creatures with sharp teeth. And the distinct possibility of a deranged killer in the Friday the 13th style (sans hockey mask).
Still onboard?
Good, because once you put that to one side, what we are left with is a decent genre flick that follows the traditional set up where we are introduced to a gang who you may or may not enjoy being seen off in the practical sense. Of course, there is that 1st act lag where events are building, the assembled cast start to make decisions which you know is going to come back and bite (or at least should). The effects are nasty enough which pays for when you are being asked to accept that certain injuries are not as fatal as you would think. Of course, as the clock ticks the group dynamic starts to break down whilst it appears that another group is present in the woods….
There are echoes of 127 Hours, In that you have someone stuck in extreme danger faced with trying to extricate themselves from that situation no matter the cost. It was wise for the film not to centre things around that and have ‘lost in the woods’ story running too. It doesn’t subvert expectations, but its shot with a love for the genre, and its taken seriously by all concerned. You could argue about certain things but that kind of takes the fun out of why we watch these in the first place. Watch it and give it a chance. I enjoyed it, bloody when it needed to be, and didn’t try to be something it isn’t.
Pitfall is available on digital and physical media from 20th July 2026.
Bloody Flicks 