It's kind of weird how closely Donner Pass resembled yesterday's film (Legend of Sorrow Creek). Four kids, isolated in a remote wilderness home, looking for a good time, run afoul of some evil and start getting killed. I mean, that probably describes about 20% of horror movies, but still - I'm having a bit of a tough time keeping them separate in my head. The big difference is that Legend was more supernatural-based and Donner Pass is more psycho-cannibal-guy-in-the-woods based, with a little dash of the supernatural thrown in the mix. I mean, the *big* difference is that Legend was mostly enjoyable, and Donner Pass really isn't.
Donner Pass stars with a quick and liberally-interpreted retelling of the infamous Donner Party story. (In the 1840's, a group of pioneers was traveling through the Sierra Nevada mountains, ran afoul of some bad weather, were stranded and out of supplies, and resorted to eating members of their party who had died of natural causes.) Here though, one guy is crazy and kills people; eating them alive in a very zombie/gut-munching style. It's kind of gory, really.
Anyways, cut to our main kids. You've got Kayley (Desiree Hall) - the nice, responsible Final Girl, her boyfriend Mike, her asshole cousin Nicole, and quiet loner Thomas. Thomas is new at school and is apparently trying to make friends, so he has invited the three of them to his parent's "cabin" in the woods (actually a pretty nice house) for a winter road trip. The synopsis says ski trip... but no. Thomas insists on keeping it low key, since they are there unbeknownst to his parents. Three of the four are actually kind of likable, but asshole Nicole is kind of an asshole. But she's nothing compared to the four *other* people she's secretly invited (her boyfriend Derek and his cronies) - they are truly some of the most boorish, obnoxious, rude, and mean characters I've ever come across. It gets to the point that they don't even seem realistic. They seriously could not die soon enough. (Fortunately, it's not very long until that happens. Unfortunately, they go in ascending order of shittiness.) It's hard not to look back to (the similarly-plotted) Legend of Sorrow Creek. One reason I think I liked it so much more (despite Legend having one-hundredth of the budget) is that you actually kind of like the characters. These folks in Donner Pass are truly despicable - you just hate spending time with them. Why do horror filmmakers keep doing that?
Anyways, it isn't long until an insane dude shows up and starts killing people - mostly by just tearing out their throats with his teeth. The kids are all trapped because their car tires have been slashed. They need to figure out a way to get out, or they will become the most current victims of cannibalism at Donner Pass!
Ultimately, Donner Pass just didn't work for me. On top of having characters you despise, there isn't an awful lot to sink your teeth into. There isn't much tension to the proceedings... you know the big assholes are definitely just there to die, and they aren't finished off in any interesting or creative ways. The gore is okay and pretty messy (the "highlight" of the film, I guess) - you see a few victims with their guts totally torn out, but it's all at the service of a story you aren't really invested in.
It's a competently made film - there's nothing too outlandish or interesting about the direction/camera-work, but it gets the job done and the whole thing looks good. It's actually pretty cinematic for what was most likely a DTV flick, but it doesn't take any chances as far as visual flair goes.
And it's mostly just dumb horror movie stuff that brings it down (why couldn't they see tracks in the snow, why couldn't they hear that guy killing that person, why don't they just put on a jacket and leave). On their own, these instances might be forgivable, but when added up it just kind of makes you feel apathetic about the whole affair. There's also a date rape angle that is really just unnecessary - it's unpleasant and not well-integrated into the story. I'm not saying rape should be off limits in horror movies, but it should at least be there for a reason. Unless the whole point they're going for is "horrible people get raped too," I'm not sure why it's here.
The ending of the film flirts with being interesting, but by the time you get there you just really don't care anymore. There is an interesting concept (that I won't spoil) there that is decently executed, but it's not enough to save Donner Pass.
I would not recommend this film.
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