Studio: Terror Films
Director: Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, David Whelan
Writer: Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, David Whelan
Producer: Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, David Whelan
Stars: J.C. Carlos, Lawrence Ross, George Savage, Noe Montes, Renee Davies, Len Wein, Edward L. Green, Jason Stewart
Review Score:
Summary:
Interviewees recount a bizarre mystery surrounding the grisly mass murder of an Arizona border town’s entire population.
Review:
Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, “Savageland” aligns closer to the “mockumentary” style of “Lake Mungo” than the “found footage” suspense of “The Blair Witch Project.” An excellent low-budget recreation of a TV newsmagazine, “Savageland” plays like a lesser true crime documentary on Netflix or a more credible episode of one of those UFO conspiracy programs found on high-number cable channels late in the evening.
Actors posing as interviewees chronicle the mysterious mass murder of an entire Arizona border town and subsequent prosecution of prime suspect Francisco Salazar. On June 2nd of 2011, everyone in Sangre de Cristo was brutally butchered. Salazar was found collapsed on the side of a road. Covered in blood and mutilated by the same teeth marks found on the victims, Salazar initially appeared to be the sole survivor of whatever went wrong.
However, Salazar also wore the wounds of a convenient scapegoat. Salazar’s fascination for photography had him snapping strange sights like roadkill and a minister’s young daughter that made people uneasy in retrospect. Being an undocumented Mexican immigrant in a climate of anti-illegal alien sentiment only made him look worse. Local figures such as a good ol’ boy sheriff and an incendiary radio host easily stoked public prejudices to paint Francisco Salazar as a serial killer while downplaying any evidence to the contrary.
Before he clammed up into a state of catatonia that lasted throughout his trial, Salazar cryptically claimed something else slaughtered Sangre de Cristo. Ravings about vicious creatures weren’t taken seriously until an investigative journalist recovered the last roll of film taken from the mad man’s camera. While one half of “Savageland” stays focused on how a possibly innocent person was railroaded by crooked lawmen and lawyers, 36 blurry images add haunting pieces to a puzzle suggesting the annihilation of Sangre de Cristo may be more savagely sinister than anyone could have imagined.
I commonly cite “The Poughkeepsie Tapes” (review here) as the best “found footage” film I can think of in terms of eerie ability to be psychologically unnerving. My only problem with the movie is that while its clips of recovered footage are totally terrifying, the surrounding talking head segments undo the immersive illusion with phony acting. Essentially, the film features a great core concept that’s undercut by a touch too much amateurism on the packaging end of the edit.
“Savageland” has an inverse issue. Between the convincing cast and believable B-roll, the film features one of the most authentic presentations you’ll find among horror mockumentaries. However, a flimsy centerpiece story runs low on sustainable intrigue. This leaves “Savageland” circling redundantly around similar beats again and again over the course of 80 minutes whose content isn’t quite as cool as the conceptualization.
“Savageland’s” interviewees are outstanding, particularly Lawrence Ross. As the investigative journalist, the stone-faced cadence with which Ross speaks instantly injects his scenes with persuasiveness. You almost have to remind yourself you’re watching a work of fiction because Ross is just that good at seeding the story with credibility through his personality alone. It turns out Lawrence Ross really is a historical author experienced in crime research. Yet Ross affords “Savageland” the same conviction he’d give to one of his nonfiction books, adding clout that a murder mystery involving monsters shouldn’t realistically have.
Others are pretty close to perfectly pitched as their various characters. Jason Stewart uses infrequent experience as an actor to his advantage by becoming an ineffectually in-over-his-head public defender that could still pass as an actual attorney. Renee Davies similarly passes as a professional psychotherapist while speaking in terms specific to her trade. Her persona only slips slightly when she has to deal directly with scripted material.
Like Ross, Davies gets credited as “herself,” and doesn’t appear to have any other acting appearances, indicating she probably is an accredited therapist in real life. I’d investigate further, but I don’t want to break any more fourth walls. “Savageland” maintains a mirage of realism so effectively, finding out exactly how the sausage was made might ruin the terrific taste.
For instance, I know “Swamp Thing” co-creator Len Wein was a comic book writer and not an award-winning photographer, which is what he plays in the film. But when his character speaks about Vietnam, I can’t help but wonder, was Wein drawing on his own experiences as a combat veteran? A quick Wikipedia click could clear up whether or not Wein ever served in the military. But again, I feel like not knowing is more fun, and not being able to clearly distinguish between fact and fiction is the mark of a mockumentary well done. Plus, Wein’s character delivers the single greatest piece of rationale for why someone in a “found footage” scenario wouldn’t put down his/her camera. That alone makes his contribution to “Savageland” crucial.
I also don’t know if the political cartoons and courtroom sketches shown onscreen were appropriated from other sources or created exclusively for the movie. I do know that I can’t tell the difference. Detailed inclusions like these further contribute to an idea that impossibly, “Savageland” is somehow being totally truthful about its terror tale.
As indicated earlier though, the tale it’s telling isn’t significantly scary. “Savageland” pins its suggested horror almost entirely on those three-dozen photographs recovered from Francisco Salazar’s camera. That’s a lot of responsibility for blurry still frames to handle in a medium typically dependent on flashier flair to create a more urgent sense of action.
Combined with its tiny setting, “Savageland’s” simple story of creatures tearing up a town ends up stuffed inside restrictive fiction that horror has a hard time breaking out of. Pressed to fit into a feature length the plot doesn’t demand, the film finds itself forced to repeatedly reuse elements like an animated 3D rendering of Sangre de Cristo more times than is visually interesting. “Savageland” doesn’t become a slog to get through, but its smolder never heats hot enough to singe either.
Produced prior to America’s 2016 election, “Savageland” has some shockingly timely commentary on border walls and bias against undocumented Mexicans that lengthens its legs with social relevance without overwhelming straightforward entertainment value. It’s mildly frustrating to see a movie get virtually everything right with regards to framing only to wrap everything around a premise that could benefit from louder pop. When the lights went up, I walked away completely satisfied by the chocolate coating of “Savageland’s” impressive execution, but underwhelmed by the comparatively plain nougat at the story’s center.
Review Score: 60
If you want to see impossible amounts of blood explode crimson colors like the world’s worst version of a gender reveal, well, “Abigail” at least has that.