The Dyatlov Pass Incident [DVD]

Loved this film! I read a book about this last year & I was fascnated by it then. The writer came to one conclusion but there are others who come up with different scenarios so it is all stll basically guess work as nobody can prove anything. I was surprised to hear it called a found footage film because the only footage was personal photographs of the hikers larkng about & having a good time, which makes the outcome of their journey all the more poignant. Apart from those photographs there was just the one that showed what looked like orbs of light which could have been anything. When I read that the film was taking 5 American students back to the scene of the disaster I thought, if this is going to be another story about 5 students going off together into the dark where they all get slashed to bts by a mad axe man I shall be really pissed off! But I am gllad to say that it wasn't anything like that as it went off on a different tack altogether. In some ways it reminds me of Cabin in the Wood because that was another film that found something really original & imaginative to say. That's where the similarties end though as they are totally diffferent films in every other respect. I was also a bit sick to find the entire film is available on Youtube for free (pause for gnashing of teeth) I was also surprised that i hadn't heard anything about this film before... but then I do practically live under a rock so maybe that's my fault :)

I've grown a little weary of found footage films, but I'm still a sucker for them. The only reason I took a chance on The Dyatlov Pass Incident is because the historical event has fascinated me for years. I think therefore I was doubly tough to convince of the film's merits. I'm pleased to say that final result is a reasonably engaging 90 minutes. For starters I find the characters in this genre of film tiresome in the extreme. Too often they are typically American, young, brattish, arrogant, wealthy and thoroughly dislikable from the get go. Not to mention stupid when the going gets tough. Basically they get more objectionable as the movie goes on until you rather hope they meet a sticky end. That didn't happen here. The protagonists were mostly "reasonable" college students with aspiration, a sense of fun and a thirst for adventure and knowledge. And although we didn't get to know and truly care about any of them that deeply, I didn't end up hating them either. The background to the original event was well told and a new mythos and twists were competently overlaid in a believable (sci-fi/horror) fashion, tying in other paranormal lore neatly, so it scores well there too. Likewise the ending -- all to often the final disappointment in too many horror movies -- was well realised. I've got some reservations about the quality of CGI, but ... I'm willing to let that slide. It's not so much bad effects as, to my mind, not quite "right" effects. I don't want to risk spoiling anything by revealing more. My only minor complaints are that some of the event were dropped in entirely as plot devices to create tension, and a little too much character dialogue was contrived exposition to enlighten the viewer and move the story forward. In conclusion: Amazon charged me £8 for this film and I'd say it was well worth the ride.

Mystery at it's finest! This was one of the best films i have watched this year, another gem in the "found footage" format. Keeps you guessing as to what is going on, although i shall be honest, i guessed the "twist" at the end probably with half an hour left in the film, but i am a know it all and i was still excited waiting to see if i was right. There is so much more going on in this film than meets the eye, and with a decent budget, and a decent believable cast, it is a shame that it went relatively unnoticed by the film industry. If you like mystery, tension, and the haldheld film genre then you will not be disappointed by this one :)

This is a fantastic film. It is by a mile the best horror film I have seen a long time. The fact that is based off events that actually happened makes it a lot more scary and believable. A lot of horror films suffer from terrible acting and under developed characters, while you never get to care for them that much or learn that much about them the cast are likeable and the acting is fine. I like how they went into Russia looking to solve a mystery instead of looking for financial gain or personal glory. A lot of films like this are predictable but DPI kept me guessing until the end and sent a chill down my spine. It is very gripping and there is never a dull moment. The only points that I would make is that the ending could have been executed slightly better and I found it a bit unrealistic how many fluent English speakers there are in rural Russia but DPI is a very good film. Even if your skeptical or horror or found footage movies this is worth a watch.

Very poor

Yet another bunch of American wannabe documentary-makers find themselves lost to sinister circumstances (just leave these things to the BBC). This time a group travel to Russia to investigate an incident which occured in 1959 where 9 hikers were found dead in a suspicious manner. Versatile director Renny Harlin handles the reins in this found-footage offering and produces an ok film but also a forgetable one. Little serious effort was made to achieve any realism as everything was so staged and with little natural flow - they may as well have shot the movie the conventional way! Another gripe was the characters, who are consistantly unlikable throughout, despite the situations they find themselves in. The story does generate some intrigue with things warming up after the 50 minute mark when all is revealed behind the mysterious events on 'the Mountain of Death'. Aside from some very dodgy CGI, the finale does turn out to be a tense and mildly scary conclusion with a cool ending. A strong finish to a film that disappointed in the way it treated the true events, but entertained enough to provide a decent nights viewing.

Love this film, the true bits are fascinating (and made me get the book 'Dead Mountain' to find out more about it) it'll play on your mind. The film itself is very good, the twist/theory at the end is very good and well animated, you wouldn't expect such good effects from this type of movie. The bonus 'making of' in the extra section is interesting and not too long. This film has everything, real life, good acting, conspiracies and horror, a good watch!

I watched this quite a few years back. I would say it’s not bad, not based on the true story as it’s far fetched in places. The actors are not particularly good but the film itself is good.

Das "Found Footage" Filmgenre ist seit dem Siegeszug von "Blair Witch Project" aus dem Jahr 1999 im Horrorfilm weit verbreitet, hat einige Klassiker wie "Paranormal Activity", "Rec" oder "Cloverfield" hervorgebracht. Immer wieder kommt aber das Gefühl auf, dass der Markt langsam übersättigt davon ist und es ja auch nicht ganz so logisch ist, wenn die Protagonisten noch in größter Not die Kamera mitlaufen lassen. Trotz allem kommen immer wieder interessante Genrebeiträge aus diesem Bereich heraus, im letzten Jahr war dies bei Barry Levinsons "The Bay" gegeben und interessanterweise ist Renny Harlins Variante "Devils Pass" noch um einiges besser geworden. Das wird aber auch erst mit dem Ende des Films sichtbar, denn der Gesamteindruck dieser geheimnisvollen Bergsteigergeschichte ist bessser als so manche Einzelszene, die man in den vorangegangenen 96 Minuten Spielzeit gesehen hat. Die Geschichte klingt wohl bekannt. Fünf College-Studenten machen sich auf den Weg um im fernen Russland herauszufinden, was mit den neun Menschen damals im Jahr 1959 am Dyatlov Pass im Uralgebirge passiert ist, deren Tod bis heute Rätsel aufgibt. Holly King (Holly Goss) und Jensen Day (Matt Stokoe) sind die Regisseure des Amateurfilms, der hergestellt werden soll. Dazu braucht es natürlich eine versierte Tontechnikern, die man mit Denise Evers (Gemma Atkinson) schnell gefunden hat. Auch die zwei versierten Bergsteiger J.P Hauser (Luke Albright) sowie der arrogante und überhebliche Sunnyboy Andy Thatcher (Ryan Howley) können für das interessante, aber sicherlich nicht ungefährliche Unternehmen gewonnen werden. Doch sehr schnell wird durch die Einblendung russischer Nachrichtensender klar, dass die fünfköpfige Crew auch ein ungewisses Schicksal ereilt haben könnte, denn die jungen Amerikaner sind spurlos verschwunden. Die russische Regierung soll zwar in Besitz des Videomaterials sein, dass man in den Bergen fand. Aber es soll der Öffentlichkeit nicht zugänglich gemacht werden. Hackern ist es aber gelungen, das brisante Filmmaterial zu veröffentlichen. Zuerst sieht man die Fünf, wie sie den 10. Mann der damaligen Expedition besuchen wollen. Dieser Mann war der einzige überlebende der Ereignisse von 1959, aber nur weil er gleich am ersten Tag wegen einer Krankheit das Zeltlager der Anderen verlassen musste. Obwohl die Administration des Krankenhaus behauptet, dass der Mann gestorben sein, sehen die fünf Studenten am Fenster eines Zimmers im ersten Stock einen alten Mann, der ihnen ein Schild mit einem russischen Wort zeigt. Sekunden später wird dieser Mann vom Personal von dem Fenster weggezogen. Sehr mysteriös...und so soll es auch bleiben. Sie finden Fußabdrücke im Schnee und am Pass angekommen entdecken Holly und Jensen die Tür zu einem Bunker, verdeckt vom Schnee. In der Nacht gibts eine Explosion, die eine Lawine auslöst... Dies alles ist sehr gut aufgebaut und steigert bis zum Ende den mysteriösen Touch. Ein guter Schachzug des Drehbuchs erweist sich das Rätselhafte der Geschichte, die Macher haben entschieden den Zuschauern mit einigen Fragen zurückzulassen. Nicht alles wird erklärt, lediglich in den Andeutungen lassen sich weitere spuren finden in die Geschichte mehr Licht zu lassen. Doch es bleibt ein Anteil im Dunkel und das ist auch gut so. Am Ende kommen dann auch furchterregende Wesen ins Spiel. Alles in allem ist das ein gut gemachter, kleiner Schneethriller, der bestens geeignet ist für gutes Mitternachtskino.

It was more than I expected! It was GREAT !!!

C'est bien film dangereux

This is a really good IFC film. Been looking for it for ages.

Bei der Bestellung dachte ich mir noch, na mal sehen was da kommt. Das Hintergrundmaterial zu dem Dyatlov-Unglück in Wikipedia war ja sehr Interessant und rein Theoretisch könnte man ein gutes Drehbuch dazu verfassen. So, der Film ist nun gesehen und ich muss sagen, JA... Ja, der Film war besser als erwartet, auch wenn mit den Fakten ein bisschen schluderig umgegangen ist. Aber die Handlung und das Ergebnis was uns der Regisseur Renny Harlin hier liefert, ist wirklich Sehenswert. Wer nicht auf solche Pseudo-Doku Filme mit Wackelkamera steht, der hat hier keinen Spaß! Ohne was von der Handlung zu verraten, muss ich sagen, sehr Spannend und Interessant gemacht. Ich habe schon deutlich schlechtere Filme zu dem Thema gesehen. das einzige was mich ein wenig gestört hat war dann das Ende...das fand ich ein etwas weit hergeholt! Es wäre möglicher weise sinnvoller gewesen, das Ende offen zu lassen, wie z.B. bei "Blair Witch"! Aber, alles in allem eine kurzweilige Unterhaltung mit einem guten und Spannenden Film! Kaufempfehlung!!