Backcountry

Of all the animal attack movies, films where the likes of sharks, birds, insects, Mickey Rourke, and tigers attack and eat people, the bear attack movies freak me out the most. Granted, Jaws is still the granddaddy of all animal attack films, but there's just something so freaky and depressing about bears mauling humans in movies. Backcountry goes into the Bear Attack Hall of Fame with Grizzly, The Edge and the documentary Grizzly Man. Missy Peregrym and Jeff Roop play Jenn and Alex, a troubled couple looking to have themselves a good old time in the wild, hiking trails and canoeing lakes. Things take a bad turn when Alex loses his way and gets the couple lost. Then, well, things become absolutely catastrophic when a bear smells Alex's bloody socks, finds their tent and decides to have itself some hikers for dinner. There's a bear attack in this film that will bring tears to your eyes. A character goes out in the most horrid and gory of ways, screaming and fighting the entire time. Then, we are treated to the sight of the dead victim being feasted upon by the bear, while their significant other is forced to flee and battle the elements. As bear attacks go, this one isn't quite as bad as Harold Perrineau getting eaten while Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins watch in The Edge, but it's pretty damn brutal. Much credit goes to the performer and makeup artists, who do a great job in making you feel somebody is really buying it via bear face. Writer-director Adam MacDonald's film is a good watch thanks to the performers, and some fine bear casting. The story, which MacDonald describes as Open Water with a bear, is supposedly based on a real life event where two campers were attacked in northern Ontario. Knowing that MacDonald based his carnage on something that really happened makes Backcountry all the more scary. Available for rent on iTunes, Amazon.com and On Demand during a limited theatrical run.