In the early 90s, Renny Harlin carved out a decent niche as an action movie director by helming Die Hard 2 and the Slyvester Stallone vehicle Cliffhanger. After delivering the notorious bomb Cutthroat Island, which starred his then wife Geena Davis, his career was soon sidelined into horror films and straight-to-DVD fare. After a recent stint doing television, Harlin returns to feature films with a found-footage creeper based on true events.
A trailer for Devil’s Pass has now surfaced, along with a few posters. Formerly known as the The Dyatlov Pass Incident, the film follows a group of students investigating the mysterious deaths of nine hikers in the Russian Ural mountains. The story is based on a real unsolved case that occurred in 1959, one that has become the subject of numerous documentaries.
The trailer features a cast of unknowns trekking through the harsh terrain and facing terrors both natural – they get caught in an avalanche – and supernatural. Like any optimistic horror fan, I’m hooked by the “Based On Actual Events” element, but one look at the video game-grade monsters has me second guessing this selection. Let’s hope Harlin has a few other tricks up his sleeve. See trailer, synopsis and posters below:
Synopsis:
Die hard 2, Cliffhanger & Deep Blue Sea director Renny Harlin is back with the fact-based film about a mysterious incident in 1959, when 9 experienced hikers were found dead. The film is about contemporary students on a trek to investigate the mystery. Five ambitious American students are given a grant to investigate the incident and retrace the victims’ journey. This proves to be a mistake, since they’re soon bothered by strange and terrifying phenomena, suggesting that the forces behind the original mystery have been waiting fifty-odd years for a repeat performance.
Devil’s Pass begins a limited theatrical on August 23rd.
What do you think about Harlin’s new film?