In late July 2017, outdoors and survival enthusiast Gary Hinge disappeared in the Great Basin Desert. His housemate and sister reported him missing after he failed to return from a backcountry hiking excursion. His backpack was later found in a campground, with his severed camera hand clutching the video recorder.
What Happened to Gary Hinge?
Gary Hinge is an outdoor enthusiast who makes videos for YouTube. He disappeared while on a hike in the Nevada desert. The police have not found any evidence of foul play, but the circumstances surrounding his disappearance are suspicious. Gary has not been seen since he was filmed entering a cabin in the desert.
He had been posting updates about his journey on social media. When he does not return, his housemate is concerned and alerts the police. The police begin to investigate and discover that he was planning to visit a mysterious cabin that he had found on a previous expedition.
The police initially search the area based on the last GPS location of his phone. They contact local and state police as well as park rangers and volunteer groups. They dispatch search parties that cover vast areas on foot, by helicopter and using drones. However, they are unable to find any trace of Gary or his vehicle.
When the investigators review the footage from Gary’s cellphone, they notice that he is frightened. They also note that he seems to be surrounded by darkness and can hear voices. This leads them to suspect that he was attacked by an unknown force.
Gary’s family and friends are distraught over his disappearance. They begin to suspect that he was killed by a supernatural creature or was abducted by aliens. They also believe that there may be a secret government base in the area.
Horror in the High Desert is a pseudo-documentary style film that uses beautiful landscape shots and the found footage narrative technique made famous by The Blair Witch Project to create unnerving anticipation. It also taps into the instinctive anxiety that comes from not being able to see in the dark.
While the film does not explicitly allude to its inspiration, it is clear that it was inspired by the real-life disappearance of hiker Kenny Veach in 2014. Veach, who went by the online name Snakebitmgee, disappeared after he claimed to have discovered a cave in the Nevada mountains. The cave was reportedly full of secret documents about Area 51, military secrets and more.
The Case
A few years ago an outdoor survival enthusiast named Gary Hinge disappeared in the desert of New Ruth, Nevada. Despite a massive search, no sign of him was ever found. Now, a documentary crew is following his family and friends in an attempt to uncover the truth about what happened to him.
The story starts with the filming of interviews with Gary’s sister Beverly and his roommate Simon. They explain how Gary was an adventurous guy who liked going on survivalist trips into the wilderness for days at a time. He would always bring the bare minimum of supplies with him and depend on the nature to provide what he needed. They also mention how he had a particular fascination with trains.
One day while on a hike in the desert, Gary discovered a strange cabin. He claimed in a YouTube video that the place had a scary atmosphere and it made him feel uneasy. This claim received a lot of criticism from his subscribers who demanded more proof from him. This pressure caused him to return to the desert and visit the cabin again.
This time he was determined to record everything so that his followers would believe him. When he reached the strange cabin, he noticed that it was inhabited by a weird man. The man seemed to be watching him and he started to get uneasy. He quickly ran away but was attacked by a deformed creature.
The movie then cuts to the filmed footage of Gary’s last moments. The shaky camera work and the burnt and blurry infrared images create a eerie feeling that will unnerve the viewer. There is also a lot of creepy background sounds that make the movie even more frightening. The ending is quite shocking and the climax will definitely leave you with goosebumps. It appears that the monster who killed Gary was a deformed man who wanted to protect a secret from the public and saw him as a threat. This explanation would also explain why the creature was so vicious in his attack.
The Ending
The police contact Gary’s sister and have her come down to the station. They tell her that they believe someone killed him. They say that Gary was a quiet guy who liked to go into the desert on survival quests for days at a time. He would often blog about these adventures. Apparently, he went into this area because a mysterious cave was nearby and had a very haunted vibe. Gary claimed that it was moving around his tent at night. He said that it was very scary and made him flee.
They also tell her that Gary’s body was never found but his cleanly severed hand was found by campers. They believe that he was killed by someone who wanted to keep the location a secret. The man that killed him drove his truck away from the original trail spot to make it difficult for anyone to find the actual site.
Gary’s reclusive lifestyle is a clear indicator that he was suffering from social rejection and isolation. He didn’t get along with people very well and often felt like an outcast. This may have contributed to his decision to become a survival expert and explore the desert.
Throughout the film, the director and cast build up Gary’s character and motivation through a series of interviews. The mockumentary style of the movie works perfectly and adds to the atmosphere. The shaky camera work, burnt and blurry infrared footage, and creepy background sounds all add to the tension.
The final twist is very shocking and unexpected. It seems that the man who killed Gary was a violent person with physical deformities. This explanation is not convincing to many viewers as it takes away from the cruelty of his zombie-like appearance, the smokey smell, and the dizzying music. Moreover, it doesn’t explain why the cabin in the wilderness gave him a feeling of impending doom.
Horror in the High Desert is an excellent indie horror movie that manages to create a sense of mystery and terror by using pseudo-documentary interviews. It is a very well-made movie that blends the authenticity of true crime with the horror of found footage. The eerie landscapes of Nevada make it the perfect setting for this horror flick.
Overall
Gary Hinge is a kind, outdoorsy survivalist who enjoys hiking and recording his findings on his popular online blog. His blog has over fifty thousand followers who appreciate and engage with his content. During one of his excursions, Gary encounters an uncanny little cabin and experiences a growing sense of dread. He shares his discovery with his audience and is immediately pressured to revisit the location and record it again.
This pseudo-documentary style horror film heavily relies on Nevada’s menacing emptiness to incite an overwhelming sense of dread in the viewers. It also takes inspiration from the real-life disappearance of hiker Kenny Veach (known online as Snakebitmgee). The movie has some serious authenticity issues, but overall it delivers an incredibly unnerving experience. It’s definitely worth a watch!
