In horror mockumentary SAVAGELAND (2017), the 57 residents of a tiny Texas border town are massacred in a single bloody night and the lone survivor is accused of the heinous crime. But the pictures he took tell a different story.
This was a real surprise. What the filmmakers accomplished with a small budget is amazing. SAVAGELAND is presented like a true crime documentary and follows the same structure, presenting the crime, the man who stood accused, and the questions raised about his guilt. Only, in this case, the survivor described a group of strange people who came to the town and tore everyone to shreds.
As the story progresses, we meet the sheriff, who is absolutely convinced Salazar, an illegal immigrant, committed mass murder; various locals caught up in the debate over immigration; a reporter who discovered the mysterious photos depicting a nightmarish horror; a border patrol agent who believes Salazar is innocent; and families and friends of the victims.
When the photos are introduced, they tell the story of Salazar’s mad dash through hell, and they are super creepy. Depicting the last moments of various residents, blurry with motion, they take on a life of their own and give heavy NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT vibes. Coupled with the secondhand nature of the storytelling, it really plays on the imagination and brought me directly into the story.
Overall, I loved SAVAGELAND and recommend it. I didn’t expect anything, and it turned out to be a great surprise.
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