Sometimes it can be comforting when characters in a horror movie run into trouble doing something you would for certain never find yourself doing. For example, due to a lack of balance (and a lack of patience with the learning process), I have never been able to ride a bicycle, so I would never be found riding a bike on a paths through a woods, which is what the lead characters in the Chile-lensed film DOWNHILL are doing when they crash into a horrific situation.
And what a horrific situation it is, as they will have to contend with "deranged hunters, naked witches, and a deadly virus." Sounds like the makings of a fun horror movie to me, especially when you add in the fact that DOWNHILL has been described as "BMX BANDITS meets H.P. Lovecraft". That's a must-watch combination right there.
Directed by Patricio Valladares from a screenplay he wrote with Barry Keating, the film has the following official synopsis:
After his best friend dies in a racing accident, biking star Joe agrees to go back on the wheels for an exhibition in Chile. On a test run with his girlfriend Stephanie, they stumble upon a badly injured man dying from a mysterious virus. That’s the start of a very bad day for them as they become the target of relentless killers ready to do anything to keep their secret to go out of the mountains! Mixing GoPro footage and stunning cinematography of the mesmerising Chilean wilderness, DOWNHILL slowly transforms from a sports movie into a body horror tale just as the characters are transformed by something hidden inside them just waiting to burst out…
Natalie Burn, Ignacia Allamand, and Ariel Levy star.
DOWNHILL has been making the global festival rounds and will continue to do so, but it has also landed distribution in the UK. Solo Media and Matchbox Films will be releasing the film on DVD in the UK on October 10th, with a Digital release to follow two weeks later on the 24th.
The trailer for DOWNHILL can be seen below.
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