Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Beacon Point’

Written by Scott Edwards 

With our work lives being so hectic, it is easy to forget that there is anything else happening in our lives. It is important to take a step back once in a while and enjoy everything that the world has to offer. For some of us, it is going to the great outdoors to see what nature has provided and for others, well they like to visit monuments that have withstood the test of time. No matter what your choice is, you need to remember that there is more to life than just making money, you are supposed to have a good time as well.
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Losing her father two years ago, Zoe knows that time is short and there is much more to life than just working. Planning to go on an Appalachian Trail hike for ten days, she is forced to quit her job to make the event happen. Knowing that this was the place that her father always wanted to visit but was always too busy to go, it might help to feel closer to her father than ever before. Taking time away from her life seems to be a good idea in her eyes, but little does she know what terrors await her and her fellow hikers in the vast wilderness.

Arriving at the trail office, Drake is surprised to see that his boss is ready to fire him. Finding out that Drake has a manslaughter charge against him, Phil has no choice but to let him go before the higher-ups find out. As a pushing match breaks out, Drake knocks his boss over the desk and impales him on a fallen set of antlers. Not willing to go back to jail for a stupid mistake, Drake cleans the desk of all of the information about him and locks up the office only to find that his last group of hikers are starting to arrive. Trying to cancel the hike, Drake knows that it is in his best interest to take the group out to avoid detection from the authorities when they arrive.

Making their way up the Appalachian Trail, Dan, Brian, Cheese, Zoe and Drake come across the scene of a bear attack. Hearing that the authorities have already been contacted, Drake urges his group to head forward and go off trail. With a little bit of hesitation, the group follows and get to see the sights that the normal tourists never get to enjoy. Hearing the stories and legends while heading further into the wilderness, Dan stumbles upon an old burial ground and finds something out of this world. Looking like a scarab that would be out of place for the Cherokee Indians that used to inhabit the area, he winds up taking it without knowing what trouble it could bring. As the day fades into night, Zoe has a very vivid dream that frightens her to no end but starts to believe that it was real when strange things start happening to the group. 

With so little being written in the descriptions of this movie, I had no idea what to expect and I think it worked out better that way. I’m not going to give away who or what is in the mountains looking for its next victim to keep it a surprise, but I will say that I was really impressed with how much depth went into the creation of each of the characters. While Zoe is the one who is able to get everyone to open up about why they are on the hike, they all have a story to tell about how their lives drove them to this point. I must admit, I was a little blown away by how the story flowed so well. With broken lives, regrets, going off trail, Cherokee burial grounds, amazing sights and a vicious something in the woods, this movie provides the right scares at the right times. Stay Scared.

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