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Dark Mountain (2013) / Dawn of the Mummy (1981)






On Tubi, I watched this 2013 found footage horror about a group of friends who go looking for an infamous lost gold mine in the desert, and end up encountering sinister forces.













Kate, her boyfriend Paul and their friend Ross decide to venture into the Superstition Mountains of Arizona to search for the Lost Dutch mine, a place that's infamous for having a bunch of undiscovered gold. They first interview several of the locals around the area, who tell them stories about disappearances, mysterious deaths and strange legends that are allegedly connected with those mountains. They then hike into the area, set up camp, and plan on searching for the mine, carrying a variety of cameras to document their journey. After they discover and explore a mysterious cave, they start to encounter bizarre phenomena and things quickly take a turn for the worse.












I went into this expecting your typical low budget effort, with bad acting and a predictable plot. It ended up being better than I expected. The three leads were all decent, and it had some good, effective jump scares and creepy moments. Considering the last found footage flick I watched, 2015's Things Unknown, was so bad, this one was a pleasant surprise. There was one part that felt was like a ripoff of the film REC, as well as ideas from Blair Witch Project, but beside that, Dark Mountain is a decent horror film. Check it out if you enjoy the found footage genre.














The other one I watched was this early 80's exploitation about a Mummy and his legion of zombies terrorizing a small town in the desert.








Back in ancient Egypt, a Pharaoh named Sefirama is buried, along with a group of men. A curse is placed that states that if Sefirama's tomb is disturbed, both he and the men will rise to seek vengeance on those who dared desecrate his place of rest. Years later, a group of fortune hunters break into the tomb, searching for hidden treasures. A group of American models are in the area for a photo shoot, and when they stumble upon the tomb, they decide it would make a great place for their photo shoot. As they go about taking photos, the heat from their spotlights awakens Sefirama's Mummy. He rises, and along with his zombie guards, they proceed to stalk and kill all who dared enter their sacred resting place.


















This movie was absolutely ridiculous, but also fucking hilarious. Bad acting, absurd plot contrivances (after finding a decapitated head in the desert, getting shot at, a make-up artist getting her hand badly burned by acid, and finding one of their men horribly mutilated, the models go about their photo shoot as if none of these things happened), and some bloody good kills and gore make this one a lot of fun. There's also a hysterically bad scene where a guy gets a sword inpaled into his forehead, but the fake dummy head is not only obvious, but looks nothing like the actor. It takes a while for the killing to start, but once it does, it's an entertaining monster fest, especially the climax that takes place at a local wedding reception. I laughed many times throughout this absurdity. If you're a fan of the those outrageous retro zombie flicks of the late 70's/early 80's era, then this one might be for you. It's available on Tubi. 















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