Horror movies can take place in any setting, from the classic haunted house to the far reaches of space. However, it often helps to tell a scary story in a place that would already be dangerous, unpleasant, and horrific, even without tunnel horrors shifting in the sand.
When most people think of a desert horror movie, they probably think of the stories of adventurers fighting mummies in Egypt. While the sands in Giza are certainly full of a long history of scary stories, nearly a third of planet Earth is desert and each region has its own horrors.
vibrations
One of the quintessential films in American horror cinema, this 1990 monster movie sickens a mess of giant worm monsters on a small Nevada desert town. Screenwriters SS Wilson and Brent Maddock originally cast the film as a group of people trying to evade the wrath of land sharks. Director Ron Underwood developed the concept into a creature that felt a little more realistic, leading to the iconic Graboids. This simple cult classic spawned a franchise, with five direct-to-video sequels under its belt. None of those follow-ups hold a candle to the original, though. The story of a bunch of simple people trying to survive their encounter with the tunnel horror is funny, scary, charming and timeless. Even 32 years later, vibrations is about as much fun as a horror movie can be.
carriers
This movie was made in 2006, but it feels a little off-putting when viewed in 2022. This grim tale of a global viral outbreak is far more extreme than the ongoing pandemic humanity finds itself in, but the images of people wearing masks that bleach hit different. carriers follows a handful of people desperately clinging to strict rules in the wake of an apocalyptic plague. All hope is lost, so the movie’s heroes set out to escape to a beach that once brought them loneliness. Unfortunately, they run into one problem after another while trying to drive down a desert road. The real horror of the movie isn’t the disease, it’s the complete collapse of basic humanity it brings about, forcing everyone to discover what they will do when pushed to their limits. It’s a dark film with a heavy cynicism about it, but for those who can tolerate it, it’s also a well-crafted experience.
petty thief
Richard Stanley has one of the strangest career paths of any filmmaker in the business. He started with some well-received short films. He got the capital to create a few passion projects, both of which became cult classics. Then he moved on to the big HG Wells adaptation that went so terribly wrong that the lost version he tried to direct served as the basis for a blockbuster documentary. More than two decades passed before he returned to direct The color from spacea critically acclaimed Lovecraft adaptation he later revealed would be the first of a trilogy. petty thief is the second of his early cult classics and the last film he directed before Doctor Moreau’s Island. petty thief adds a supernatural flair to the story of a series of murders that took place in Namibia. It’s a fascinating film with some really effective horror elements that show what Stanley could have been if it weren’t for New Line Cinema and Val Kilmer.
south direction
Anthology horror movies have a solid and storied tradition of a few outstanding entries that dominate the mountain of horrific. south direction brings directors together to tell interconnected stories set on the same deserted stretch of desert highway. With talent like Roxanne Benjamin, who directed the best part of XXand David Bruckner, who played the best part of F/H/S, south direction is a standout in the genre. What is unique is that the stories are not separate short films, they are incomplete fragments of clearly larger stories. It’s a fascinating and engaging way to string together five terrifying and well-executed horror stories. This 2015 movie comes in with a short running time of 90 minutes, the main problem is that every audience will demand more.
The Pyramid
Found footage isn’t over as a gimmick, it’s just not as annoyingly common as it used to be. If modern found footage filmmakers need a handy “not to do” guide, look no further than this 2014 disaster. The Pyramid is the directorial debut of Grégory Levasseur, whose career includes many great films and many big misses. This is the last. The Pyramid follows a handful of documentary filmmakers who search for a secret hidden in one of Egypt’s iconic monuments, only to find a nightmare hidden inside. Anyone who stumbled upon John Erick Dowdle’s? As above so below could experience some real déjà vu, despite the films coming out less than four months apart. The Pyramid isn’t a great movie, but it’s worth watching, if only for the wild choices he makes in his later acts. It’s a lot funnier than scary, but the wide swings required by some of his ideas make it interesting.
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