“Man is the only animal that kills for fun,” A look into Christopher Denham’s “Preservation”

December 15, 2015

Written by Capt McNeely

Georgia Division ZADF Twitter: @ZADF_ORG

PRESERVATION_001

A camping trip goes awry as newlyweds Mike and Wit are suddenly joined by Mike’s brother, Sean, a former marine, in the psychological horror-thrill ride “Preservation.” They awake from their first night on the trip to find that everything has been stolen from their campsite. A weekend in the woods suddenly becomes a game of survival for the three.

The film is littered with classic horror stereotypes which makes it a particularly fun watch, especially for horror fans!

For me, the movie fell short in the realm of reality, and what “traditional hunters” actually do on a hunting trip. A great example of this is when the group arrives at their hunting spot and realize it is closed. To quote the characters, “That’s never stopped our family before,” and they enter anyways.

PRESERVATION_002

With that said, the common horror movie stereotype-stupidity of these three is what makes this film a great horror film. The “closed” sign is the typical warning in the film that warns our characters to turn back. As any classic horror film would have it, every “important” thing they do in the first 20 minutes comes back to haunt them later in the film.

For a low budget, independent thriller, “Preservation” has some pretty recognizable faces, such as Wrenn Schmidt, Pablo Schreiber, and Aaron Staton from AMC’s hit Mad Men, and the three veteran actors play off each other extremely well.

PRESERVATION_003

The film is full of twists and turns and the classic game of cat and mouse which can be seen in films like “Cabin Fever” and “The Strangers.” The film references the “lost in the woods” films like “The Blair Witch Project” and “Deliverance,” but brings them into a modern age… Instead of a paper map the group uses a cell phone, which in todays world is a lot more relatable, especially to younger horror audiences.

The film is beautifully shot and very a easy watch. Movies that are shot in daylight tend to be a little scarier as they do not rely on darkness as an adversary… It is always horrifying to know that a character is not safe, even in the warmth of daylight!

“Preservation” is abatable on both DVD and Blu-Ray and is currently streaming on internet service  providers (Netflix).

Share This Article

You May Also Like…