This Land (2023) Movie Review

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This Land – Movie Review

Director: Richard Greenwood Jr

Writer: Leon Langford, Collin Watts (Screenplay)

Cast

Natalie Whittle (Orbital Redux)
Adam Burch (Battle of Los Angeles)
John J Pistone (Another Time)
Mindy Montavon (For All Mankind)
Jerod Powers (Catfish Killer)

Plot: Two families from opposite ends of the political spectrum turn on each other after a cabin rental mix up, but must work together to survive after a sinister group emerges with an ancient pact.

Runtime: 1 Hour 47 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: This Land starts when Ava (Whittle), Neil (Burch) and Dakota (Powers) take a 4^th of July weekend away. They need a break from their life after a tragic incident the year before. However, their getaway takes a turn when they find another family Grady (Pistone), Barb (Montavon) and Reagan (Scorse) have been booked in the same cabin.

The two families end up clashing over political beliefs creating tension in the cabin. However, they must learn to work together when they find themselves targeted by a sinister group.

Verdict on This Land

This Land is a horror thriller following two families that are accidentally double-booked in a cabin for a weekend. It sees their political views clash causing tension between the two sides. However, they must put their difference aside to fight back against a sinister group.

This is an interesting idea because seeing the two families with political differences clashing. Then adding together, a mystery about a cult lurking in the woods around the cabin. It all builds to an interesting confrontation. However, there seems to be a lack of focus on the cult’s motivation. It feels rushed by the end of the movie. The highlight of the movie is following Ava’s battle to recover after her tragedy. She is haunted by what happens, giving her character the most motivation throughout the film. The movie does seem to want to use a lot of what Hereditary used with the cult elements, without the family connection.

Final Thoughts – This Land is an interesting horror that doesn’t quite hit the marks.