PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Lore, written and directed by Christian Larsen (Another Time 2016) and Brock Manwill (White Salamander), is a visually spellbinding, slow burn thriller. It stars Lyndsey Lantz (By Day’s End 2020), Max Lesser (Ashby 2015), and Sean Wei Mah (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee 2007).
Synopsis:
A woman searches for her missing son in a remote wilderness with the help of her estranged husband and a Native American friend. When an evil creature starts to hunt them, their journey becomes a fight for survival.
Lore starts when a recently divorced couple, Ann (Lantz) and Rich (Lesser), hire a Native American guide named John (Wei Mah) to help search for their missing son in a remote part of an Indian reservation. But there are greater dangers out there worse than just the rough terrain, ancient ones they can’t even begin to imagine.
I enjoyed this film overall. It was visually stunning, and the Cache National Forest of Idaho is captured perfectly. This was one of my favorite aspects of the film. Lore has a gentle, slow pace, one that was more suited to a character study than a average thriller. Keep that in mind if you search this one out. It probably shouldn’t be your first choice if you are looking for an edge of your seat film. There is also very little in the way of blood and gore in this film, so keep that in mind as well. The interaction between the two lead characters, Ann and Rich, makes up the majority of the film, and both actors rise to the occasion. The acting here is superb, especially from Lyndsey Lantz. Her performance is one of tremendous strength and grit.
The greatest flaw in Lore is the ending. In contrast to the rest of the film, the wrapup felt very muddled and ambiguous. I feel like the filmmakers were trying to make a profound, spiritual statement, but there was something missing in the execution. The film’s technical execution and performances still elevate it above your standard fare, despite the ending. Lore is a slow burn that is worth seeking out.
