On August 6th, 2020, Lula Samm stopped by the side of the road to aid a stranded motorist. She was never seen again.
While “Mysteries of the Desert” is only eleven minutes long, director Adam Hardman imbues it with a sense of fear and dread that most horror feature films could only dream of. When a young woman, Alice (Jennette Nelligan), driving through the Salton Sea, comes across what appears to be a broken down SUV, she slows down to survey its surroundings but then takes off.
After a failed call to 911, she turns back and stops by the stationary vehicle. With items of clothing dispersed throughout the area and a bloody handprint on the back of the car, she is greeted by a panicked and seemingly injured woman, Lula (Whitney Crowder), with a blood-soaked bandage on her hand. She faints, and Alice puts her in the back of her car.
On the way to the hospital, Lula wakes up and claims that someone is following them and gives Alice directions to her house, which she claims is just up the road where she has a landline to call the police. But once inside, Alice quickly realizes that her worst fears have become her new reality.
“Mysteries of the Desert” is shot progressively; we start in late evening, transition into dusk, and conclude at nighttime, and it all appears to be shot using natural lighting, something I always do when making my movies. There is a sense of realism when using natural lighting that artificial lighting can never capture, no matter how good it is.
Jennette Nelligan and Whitney Crowder do well in their respective roles, with Ms. Nelligan given the most screen time. We can relate to her initial apprehension of wanting to get out and offer help; after all, who hasn’t seen “The Hills Have Eyes” or “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” but we also identify with her guilt of leaving the scene and then returning with the intent of assisting.
“Mysteries of the Desert” is a well-crafted horror thriller that reinforces our fears of wanting to help stranded motorists but, at the same time, our ambivalence when we pass them by. Congrats to all involved for a tense, foreboding, and beautifully shot film.
“Mysteries of the Desert” had its West Coast Premiere
at the 2023 Screamfest Horror Film Festival October 18th
