... or 'Black Mountain Side' as it is sometimes known, is a story that has much in common with John Carpenter's 'The Thing (1982)', but made with a fraction of the budget. For an independent film, it boasts great cinematography, convincing acting and good sound design. The occasional effects are believable, but there are really too few of them.Or perhaps I should say, there is too much of everything else. Even shorn of twenty minutes, this would still be a slow-burner, saved to a certain extent by the characters (all men), who are believable and share a sense of chemistry with each other. But it is just too dull, I'm sorry to say. There's little pace, momentum or even atmosphere which is surprising given the excellent location. The views of the wonderfully crisp snowy backdrop of are fairly static and often looks like the same shot repeated.Things happen, certain characters become affected - there is a terrific moment when one of them, apparently randomly, cuts off his hand - all powerfully staged. But there's no build up from that. The slow reveal of the evil spirit is nicely restrained, and represents a high point.I really wanted to like this more than I did. In its favour, it has a Lovecraftian 'vibe' to it, but that's never much more than a vague suggestion. Even the ending is decidedly perfunctory and after nearly two hours, that is a shame.

Have you seen 'The Thing'? then don't go near this film. Do you value your time? Then don't go near this film.I tried so hard to find something positive about this... The snow was nice.A few things disturbed me about this and none of things were things the makers intended. There was 5 or 6 Archaologists on site along with 5 Native helpers, yet when the first 'exciting' event occurred and three of the Natives apparently fled, all work on the dig stopped...These guys were archaeologists, right? I don't see what was to stop them from rolling up their sleeves and continuing the dig. That is only one aspect of this film which makes little sense, the other aspects are the rest of the film. Why was it made? Who decided to attempt a rip off of 'The Thing'? and Why was it made? It all made very little sense and to be honest it didn't bother me because it really was just that bad. Just an awful film with a poor attempt at an ambiguous ending which came across like they'd literally run out of ideas and money.

This movie had so much going for it but left with an unsatisfying ending.First, I gotta give props to a horror movie that doesn't rely on jump scares. There's maybe 1 jump scare, if it can even be considered that but the rest is all tension and general creepiness. (Now that I can really respect in an age where people think jump scares are the only form of horror.) Yes, I even thought the deer was creepy, although there could have been more creative thought put into it to make it creepier but the voice for it makes up for that. And I like the lack of music in the movie as well. The stale silence increases the creepiness factor and fits well for an isolated environment like that.It was an interesting premise, but I had seen something very similar in The Last Winter (2006). But the archaeological site made it stand out from that movie. I wish we got to see more of it and delve deep into the mythology and culture of that area. The beginning was a little slow but the archaeological stuff kept my attention long enough to get into the good stuff.Finally, the major problem was the ending. The "Deer God's" intentions and motives were very vague but maybe it was just meant to be up for interpretation? But there is no overall feeling of the movie "ending", let alone being wrapped up. We don't get to see if the guy survives or not and that too may be up for interpretation but it just leaves the movie hanging.Overall: it has all the creepiness and tension I look for in horror movies so it's so unfortunate that the ending is unsatisfying and there's too many things left unanswered. I hate when director's do that; as if leaving things vague and unclear makes your movie "deep" and "thoughtful" but it doesn't. If you're looking for a good horror movie that doesn't rely on jump-scares you'll really enjoy it but the ending may leave you very frustrated.

Pleasantly surprised by this movie. Came into it with hoping of a decent movie set in a paranoid lonely environment, perhaps not completely different the 80s movie "Thing" with Curt Russel.Quite soon i discovered that there are some small similarities between the movies but it was not a ripoff but had its own thing going which i find worked well. Actors does a decent job, Not top notch quality but overall i cant complain. I did found the group a bit too big though and sometimes i mistook the characters for one another which was annoying but you came back on rail realizing who and what was going on fast after confusion hit you. Its not a perfect movie but i found the mood and vibe of the whole thing very unsettling which of course is a great quality in a horror movie. Being a HP Lovecraft fan it satisfied me taking a bit of that mythology into it all but with that being said, you do not need any Lovecraft interest or knowledge to understand the movie. Its just extra candy for those that are.Not going to spoil anything but i wish the movie would have expanded and gotten more info on the artifact, When the movie ends there is still some questions you want to have answered but in some ways it also probably makes the movie good in a way. Instead of having answers served it tickles the imagination a bit.The movie had its chilling moments and as i said a very pleasant surprise among all crap you find in the genre and i very much recommend a viewing, Might not connect well with all horror fans in a great way but if you got a thing for the Cthulhu mythos and Lovecraftian literature this is a must see.I will re watch this movie in a few months to see how a second look makes me feel but yes...recommended. I suspect budget was not huge in this movie but they have solved it well with the limitations they might have had. I give it a 7 in score and if you're on the hunt for a nice horroflick but cant decide...put this one on!