Dir. Joseph Simms-Dennett (2024)
A young woman attempts to unite her remaining family after the death of her father and finds herself in the grip of a dangerous cult.
Survival horror is almost by necessity also slow burn horror. It's very difficult to make a movie continuously exciting when it's a "one-person-against-nature" archetype. That's not to say that those films don't have their moments, of course, especially when there's a deeper underlying message beyond just (wo)man vs. nature. The best of the genre often finds their characters fighting against themselves as well, either a personal history that conflicts with their present situation or internal pressures threatening their survival as much as the danger they're currently in. If the personal story is compelling enough, it doesn't particularly matter what dangers are present within the woods.
Grace (Meg Clark) has recently lost her abusive father and decides to try to reunite with her brother. There's just one problem: she doesn't quite know where he is. She sets off into the woods with the help of a man named Mr. Green (Leighton Cardno) in an attempt to locate a local cult that may be housing her brother, but when Mr. Green goes missing, it's just Grace against the dangers lurking all around her. Grace injures her leg after a fall, further complicating her journey towards the cult's compound, and as she struggles to reconcile her present situation with her past, more and more dangers begin to reveal themselves.
The non-linear story in Baal is expertly told, the jumps back and forth between the present-day woodland and Grace's mysterious past fitting completely within the context of the film. As much as the narrative of the film appears to be about Grace's attempts to reunite with her brother, it is moreso about Grace herself and how she has adapted to a terrible life. By the time she finds what she's looking for, the audience has been treated to many terrifying scenes of her personal history interspersed with current bumps in the night.
Clark does a fantastic job in the lead, though I do think her continual heavy breathing is a bit distracting from what is otherwise and excellent performance. She carries a ton of emotional weight in the role, and her fear is palpable throughout the film. And who can blame her? Lost in the woods is no fun for anyone, especially not when there may or may not be a dangerous cult lurking about. The cult itself, of course, is pretty damn scary, though the origins and intentions are kept a bit in the dark.
Baal is not going to position itself among the best in a crowded genre, but it is a very well made film with a compelling plot. The actors are all excellent, it's at least decently scary, and it's competently made and performed survival horror. While I could've used a little more exposition towards the cult itself, perhaps sometimes it's better left a bit mysterious. It's certainly creepy as it is, which is often a point where indie horror fails. Thankfully, this one is on point, and it's one of the more eerie indie flicks I've seen in recent memory.
Who this movie is for: Survival horror fans, Cult movie lovers, Forest guides
Bottom line: Baal is creepily told survival/cult horror from Down Under. The actors are great, the cinematography captures a lot of the natural beauty and allows for some decent scares, and it all works really well. There is a bit left in the dark that I would've liked to see explored a bit more, but all in all, it's a damn good film. If you're into slow burn survival horror, you'll really enjoy this one.
