Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch review.
The third installment of the creatively successful Horror in the High Desert series has arrived. What works still works…even if the pattern is becoming too evident.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch
Directed by Dutch Marich
Written by Dutch Marich
Starring Marco Antonio Parra, Laurie Felix Bass, Suziey Block, Brooke Bradshaw, Dakota Hansen, Eric Mencis and Dutch Marich
Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch Review
The Horror in the High Desert series has set a high bar for itself. From the moment the original movie begins…the franchise locks down a wildly effective format. The movies play out like an expanded segment of Unsolved Mysteries. Found footage stand in place of actor reenactments. The result is remarkable. The original provides a long build to a tremendous third act. The first sequel expands on the suspense…sustaining the horror for far longer. With two successful films in the bag…it’s no surprise that Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch isn’t interested in upsetting the apple cart. What was effective remains so. The seams are beginning to show, however.
The High Desert series centers on mysterious occurrences in, unsurprisingly, the high desert. We began by learning about the disappearance of Gary in 2017. The investigation, aided by his own recovered footage, comprises the original movie. Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva picks up on a couple of other strange disturbances loosely connected to Gary’s disappearance. The latest chapter attempts to tie more directly into Gary’s story by placing a new character, Oscar Mendoza (Marco Antonio Parra), directly into Gary’s ill-fated path. There are ties to characters from Minerva as well…but you’d be ok watching Firewatch on its own. Talking heads will fill in any blanks you need at the time you need them.
Firewatch is an interesting subtitle for Horror in the High Desert 3. Interesting…because it’s such a small aspect of the story here. There is, in fact, a fire. It’s on the other side of the woods from where our story takes place. Minerva served as a more fitting subtitle given most of its story was about a woman named Minerva. We don’t watch a fire for very long in Horror in the High Desert 3.
Oscar is a recovering alcoholic. He finds a new addiction after learning about Gary’s disappearance. He sets out to find his own answers…and to try and find the hidden location at the end of Gary’s footage. Early footage shows us an Oscar who is a very happy man. As this is a Horror in the High Desert movie…we know that it won’t last.
The Horror in the High Desert movies have always done a fine job painting their doomed lead characters in three dimensions. Mixing the words of people who knew/know them with candid footage of the people themselves…the movies present you with realistic characters. Firewatch is no different. Oscar has an interesting backstory and a true purpose for seeking out this danger.
Talking heads from previous entries return to lead us through the story of the latest person to meet with unexplained phenomena in the high desert. It lends an immediate consistency to the continued sprawling lore of the series. They do a good job making these feel connected to an ongoing unsolved mystery. It also means that Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch is, in some ways, trapped by the previously determined format. It’s difficult for similar stories presented identically to differentiate themselves from one another. If you’ve seen the original film…you know these beats already.
If you’ve seen the previous films (and you should) …you know what to expect from Firewatch. There are some fun locations for Oscar to explore. What makes it work so well is how the story builds the danger around them before we see his footage. Someone will tell a story about something strange that happened there. We’ll be shown someone else’s footage with a creepy or unexplained ending. Then we are riding shotgun with Oscar as he enters a building that we already know has a frightening past. It’s a formula that works exactly as intended.
Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch is more like the original than the sequel. Minerva leaned far more towards spooky things happening in found footage. Firewatch follows the pattern of the original…more interested in explaining the lore of the world and slowly building towards a dire conclusion. Minerva sustained the suspense much longer…but inevitably ran out of steam as it switched stories for the third act. Firewatch (along with the original) saves its best for last. There are genuinely breathless sequences awaiting you at the end of Oscar’s journey. A trip worth taking even if you’ve already walked these paths once before.
It’s really the only thing that knocks Firewatch down a peg from its two predecessors. What worked before still works here…we’ve just seen it all before. Right down to the last-minute promise of new breakthroughs in the case teasing an inevitable fourth installment. A person slowly walking around abandoned places surrounded by strange noises is still just as suspenseful as it always is. There is something genuinely unnerving about the footage in these High Desert movies. The world building is strong…the actors feel legitimate. It’s easy to find yourself believing that you are watching a true story comprised of footage you shouldn’t be privy too. Unfortunately, Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch also feels like the repeat of a movie you’ve already seen. Because you probably have.
Scare Value
The format of these Horror in the High Desert movies remains its strongest attribute. Unfortunately, going to the well a third time has allowed the seams to start showing. The result is an entertaining watch on a dark, rainy night…but one that lacks the full engagement and atmosphere created by the first two chapters. Hopefully the inevitable fourth entry will pick up a new trick…or, at least, deliver some definitive answers to the ongoing lore.
3/5
Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch Link
Rent/Buy on VOD from Amazon
