For his first time behind the camera successful out-gay actor, Matthew Montgomery has directed and co-written an entertaining psychological LGBT thriller that reeks of intrigue and more than its fair share of blood and violence.
The action takes place in 1992 in a large remote forest that is the setting for a rather notorious cruising area for gay men along a hiking track known as Devil’s Path. Part of the main trail has been closed off by the local Authorities after several gay hikers have gone missing and they have been unable to turn up any leads or bodies. This, however, has not put off any of the men seeking some pleasure in the woods, and it’s there that two strangers, the highly nervous Noah (Stephen Twardokus who is also the co-writer) meets attractive Patrick (JD Scalzo) sitting on a bench waiting for a hookup.
It’s soon clear that chatty Noah is hardly the type that Patrick prefers but as he insists on talking, the two establish some sort of bond. Later they are suddenly forced off the main trail after a confrontation with some suspicious hikers and soon find themselves running for their lives with nowhere to hide but in the trees.
With a plot that has seemingly never-ending twists and turns, we gradually discover that nobody is really who we had assumed they were and that their presence on the trail this afternoon has much deeper and darker meanings that will inevitably have dire consequences.
Montgomery, with the aid of his two lead talented actors, keeps winding the tension up in this frenetic cat-and-mouse game, with the pace only slowing down when it draws out the ending a little too much.
Movies of this genre are rare in queer cinema and Montgomery’s spirited debut makes the case for maybe seeing more LGBT thrillers like this in the future.
P.S. Montgomery fans will be happy to see that he plays a cameo role in the movie, as does his husband Steve Callahan
Labels: 2018, Matthew Montgomery, psychological thriller, thriller
