There’s a particular kind of horror that is excessively bleak. “Last House on the Left” comes to mind, as do “Deliverance” and many of the Texas Chainsaw films. The horror in these films is man-made; they argue we don’t need to fear demons or witches, but our fellow humans.
When I was younger, I enjoyed these films as much as they are meant to be enjoyed. But as time has gone on, I’ve lost my stomach for them.
2015’s “Landmine Goes Click” operates right in this territory, putting man’s brutality front and center.
It’s an ingenious plot. A trio of American tourists are hiking in the scenic mountains of the former USSR satellite state, Georgia, a country that has experienced ongoing warfare. One of the group steps on a landmine, but it doesn’t blow up. Instead, the character has to stay almost frozen in place while his compatriots, including his love interest, figure out what to do. (If this scenario sounds technically unlikely, you should know the plot handles that.)
Some betrayals occur. Then a rifle-toting local and his dog show up, and things get really ugly.
The film has some twists and turns, including a change of location. It eventually morphs into a revenge film, something like “Ms. 45” or “Death Wish.”
When I turned it off, I was a bit disgusted with the whole thing. But I have to admit, it stayed with me for days. It’s not a pleasant watch, but worth doing.
I want to say the film is Tarantino-esque, but that’s not quite right. Tarantino films are violent, yes, but they practice a kind of stylized, often funny violence that mutes the horror. “Landmine Goes Click” just lets the horror hang in the air, unabated.
The director, Levan Bakhia, is Georgian and presumably was affected by his country’s wars. In a Reddit interview, he noted the film was controversial locally, partly because Georgians worried the film would scare off tourists. That got a chuckle out of me.
There’s a real gut punch of an ending, too.
