Hands down the worst movie I have ever seen. None of it is logical. Who hikes 4 days worth away from their car? Why don't they run? Do they all have arthritis (including the 10 year old boy)? The boy gets quite murderous a little too much a little too late. AND THEN they have to walk home? RIDICULOUS

Even if you can't come up with an exact title or two as proof of your conclusion, I am pretty confident that while watching "Desolation", you'll be saying "I have seen this basic story before." Needless to say, this saga of innocent people being stalked by a madman in the woods is sorely lacking originality. But it probably could have worked again, albeit in a somewhat familiar sense, if the filmmakers had added some spark. However, there is no real sign that the filmmakers were trying to make this stand out from the rest of the movies in the backwoods slasher genre. It takes forever for the movie to get going, with more than half of the movie going by before the protagonists find they are in serious trouble, with the movie padded out with inconsequential footage right up to that point. And when the protagonists start to flee for their lives, there is pretty much no tension or suspense. The movie just seems to be going through the motions weakly. One main reason for that is that the stalker is a pretty boring figure; he doesn't talk, just stands around and watches a lot, and has no apparent motivation for why he's doing what he's doing. About the only thing the filmmaker manage to do is make the movie look okay for its low budget; it's fairly well shot in scenic locations. Apart from that, this is pretty much a misfire, and I would have given it a much lower rating had it not just been 76 minutes long. You'd be better off seeking a copy of the 1977 Canadian backwoods horror movie "Rituals" instead.

You can tell there wasn't a lot of money behind this movie and the subject has been done to death but this is a well constructed and well acted thriller, that also manages to operate as a sort of coming of age story. The setup couldn't be more simple. A woman, her son and a family friend go camping and encounter a deadly stalker. What happens after that isn't so formulaic (other than the death of someone). I liked the acting. The trio behaves very naturally, not a lot of overreacting and carrying on like you see in a lot of slasher movies. AND there is a sub-plot, the husband and father has recently died and now the mother and son are trying to adjust to life without him. Toby Nichols is very effective as the son who now wants to be taken seriously as the 'man of the family'. He and Jaime Paige make a very believable family unit. Alyshia Osche adds some charm as the family friend. Claude Duhamel who plays the stalker is sufficiently creepy. This kind of stripped down story and production makes it have a sort of 70s vibe. I liked where they went with the story. The mother and son behave like they are desperate but they aren't idiots and though they make the type of missteps people in a panic inducing situation would make, they prove very resourceful. I also like that the film makers didn't resort to a Horror cliche I truly hate, the false ending.On a side note, the one song in the movie, 'Memory' really works. The stalker uses it to creep out that campers. It sounds like a song from the 40s so I checked. Nope, written in 2013 and you can pick it for 5 bucks as a digital download. Anyway, I liked the movie. I give it a 7.5 and round it up a half point to compensate for the idiots on IMDB that live to trash movies. 'Desolation' is a good littler thriller and at 116 minutes, it flies by. Definitely worth a watch.

I figured I'd give this movie a shot. Three words...waste of time. Sort of formulaic with a twist. If a weirdo is following you in the woods, why be so nonchalant about it. Head for home....quickly!!