Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch

Seems like some people are upset at this movie lol. It's not bad as a standalone, like if they had made this movie and it was totally unrelated to the first one it would be a decent film, just as with the second one they added a bit too much to it. The new stories and characters are interesting enough though, as with the second film it errs in that it takes some things too long to get across or its not clear enough, for example the scene with the dude on the motorcycle, even if you pause the film you cant see Oscar at the side of the road, but that's not that bad, just lazily done filming. The only bad part is Oscars cousin Manny, the dude that interpreted him was either too nervous or a bad actor, or maybe it was done on purpose to make it seem realer, they could have as with the second film cut out some things and added others. I dont know how to feel about them going from inbred cannibals (possibly) to spirits of the woods or whatever they are, but that line where Oscar wrote "They're not always human" was pretty creepy. The slow reveal at the end of how he knew where to go was very well done, and the hint at a fourth (and hopefully final) film means Imma be watching to finally know how this all ends.

My wife and I were really looking forward to part 3 as we enjoyed the first one and especially Minerva, but Firewatch is 88 minutes with MAYBE about 5 minutes of creepy, half of which are scenes from part 2, Minerva. It's mostly talk and when it finally gets to footage, there's nothing (and believe me we're the kind that take pleasure in straining our eyes looking for the hidden in found footage) and I mean NOTHING, just an occasional creepy sound. The main character makes a remark a few times about "They don't like the light!" and apparently that's true because no monsters show up AT ALL. There is a scene with a motorcyclist that I thought might payoff but apparently had nothing to do with anything and when it gets to the finale and has "Viewer Discretion Advised", it should have instead an epilepsy warning with a final reveal that is such a stupid "What the?" it just makes me mad. The director should really be ashamed for this movie because Horror In The High Desert 2: Minerva was very good, but this one feels like no effort was made at all-nothing that adds to the story, barely any scares, just a quick cash grab to string you along until the next one. I rented it for $4.99 on Amazon and that was truly money wasted. Wait for it to show up on Tubi. Try harder next time Dutch Marich.

Always appreciate a masculine man trying to over come the fear. Walk toward the noise....confront the challenge. Better them than me. I am a brave gal, but I would have night goggles, and a full pin cushion outfit on!! Love the adventure..the long walks ...the noises .. it was cool to watch the drama happen. Of course the first and second were way more visual, way more detail and such...can we get a ring camera or a drone camera on these areas? I need more...I want to see it, I mean are there creepy random people roaming around left behind because of horrid America? Regardless I appreciate the movies / documentaries. Bravo and keep them coming .. I can't wait forever for the next .. I have been applied and entertained.

I've watched all three of the movies in this series and each one gets progressively worse. I'd like to be able to point out specifics, but there aren't any. It's just that each one is more boring and pointless than the last. I seriously feel as though I've been grifted. There is nothing of any value in the way of cinematography, acting, writing or any other generic trait that one would use to judge a film. I understand this is a found footage style of film. That doesn't, nor should it, allow for such a lack of ambition as demonstrated in this "production". I'll do whoever is reading this a favor and not give away any spoilers. Alas, there are no spoilers. There's nothing to spoil. It's a guy walking around in the dark. If you haven't figured that out after three films, the joke is definitely on you.

The way in which this series has transcended from a horror to thriller to mystery and back again while weaving its own distinct style, full of rich characters, has my full attention. I will be seated for every entry to come. I have just come from reddit where the theories on what is taking placing within the narrative are rampant and it's difficult to not rack my brain coming up with my own. The wait for this one to come out had people in a fervor, the kind of attention and following that money can't buy these days so I hope Merich and his team don't sell out to Hollywood execs and make the franchise paint-by-numbers schlock. Eagerly awaiting Part 4.

So I like the first movie, thought the second one was even better and scarier, and therefore was excited about this one. All I can say is what a letdown! The only good part of the movie was the black haired woman interviewer who's actually a really good actress and bring some Interest to the story. But the rest of the movie is flat out terrible, the biggest problem being Oscar is such a bad actor and is such a bad character that you literally do not care what happens to him. And they inexplicably brought back Gary's God-awful sister for some reason. Honestly, I don't even know why they bother to mention the name Gary Hinge at all in this movie. They barely showed him in flashback for maybe two or three sequences and even that was short-lived. Instead, what we get is long never-ending tracking shots of a guy walking over rocks and seeing...literally NOTHING. There was no tension and nothing even remotely scary. Oh, and the actor who played the missing Oscar's brother? Just WOW was he bad. Avoid at all costs.

This is a divisive series, even among found footage fans, who are already used to having this genre crapped on, even by other horror fans. Those people who crap on found footage will absolutely find some ammo here. The typical complaints with this movie is that very little happens most of the time and then something very creepy happens at the end but by that point, most people have already tapped out. Even I, when I heard this was coming out, hoped the director would switch it up this time. Not only does the director follow the same exact format though, he actually DEcreases the already low amount of actual horror in the movie. There are a couple of genuinely tense scenes, hence the two stars, but those sequences go absolutely nowhere. The trademark "final" scene where we're finally supposed to get the payoff? It's laughable. Insulting, even. I don't know what the director was thinking with this but he's completely killed my enthusiasm for a part 4 and the positive reviews are obvious shills. Another reviewer called this one of the biggest disappointments of 2024. I have to agree. Every hyped found footage this year, including Late Night, has been a disappointment, but none bigger than this one. I'm stunned.

"Viewer Discretion Advised" For what?!?! This is more like the first movie than the second. I wish I liked these movies as much as the people on here. It doesn't help that I'm not the biggest fan of found footage horror. The only one in this series that I've liked so far is the second because it wasn't nearly as boring. This one goes back to the format of the first where there's very little scares until the very end. Much of the movie is a retread of old material. The acting is hit-or-miss with a lot of overexplanatory dialogue, including segments where the interviewees spell out the moral takaways for us. Although the ending of the first movie does not make the rest of it worth watching, at least it had a somewhat unnerving reveal. The reveal at the end of Firewatch is hilarious. I get that they're building the world and the mystery of it all, but it's simply silly as the final scare. I felt robbed. I'm sure most of my friends on here will enjoy this more than I did but I was severely disappointed.

Unlike a lot of other fans of this franchise, I quite liked Horror In The High Desert 2. I loved the fast pace, the scares, the constant atmospheric tension. I loved the ending of the first one but got bored sick before the final fifteen minutes saved the film. This one, IMO, combined the atmospheric tension of HITHD 2 with the boring documentary bits of HITHD 1. Plus lots of b-roll footage of desert. I enjoyed that this film expanded upon the lore and introduced some new places that built upon the suspense surrounding the desert and the creatures. Besides that, though, it lacked sufficient scares. I was neutral to the main character, I didn't like or dislike him one way or another. I wasn't able to connect with his backstory like I did with Minerva's. I think this movie series would have been fun as a tv series. It's easy to forget what happened in the previous films and how each is connected because of how far apart the releases have been. Overall, it wasn't a memorable addition to the franchise and felt more like filler. 5 stars for solid atmospheric tension, especially as it nears the end.