Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Indigenous’

Written by Scott Edwards

Sometimes it is difficult to find things to do while on vacation. If you are like me, you check out the normal sites and that is it, but there is much more to the areas that you visit that can lead to more memorable adventures. I enjoy checking out the local history and stories about what happened, especially in small towns since they usually have more to share that is not mainstream. While I try to get to know more about the towns, others prefer to see amazing things that they would never be able to see at home. To each their own, but just remember that getting too far off of the beaten path could lead to an adventure that you did not expect.

Scott and Steph are the last to the party that has just started in Panama. With their friends waiting for them on the beach, the two are trying to enjoy their time away from the real world. When meeting up with their friends Elena, Charlie and Trevor, the group enjoys a heavy night of drinking and wind up making a couple of new friends. Carmen and Julio are locals that really enjoy their time with the Americans and want to keep the party going, especially when it comes to the local sights. But Panama has been holding onto a secret for many years that the Americans want to check out and with the promise of a great waterfall and an untouched lake under it, it is more than they can pass up.

Although Julio makes his friend Carmen promise not to take the Americans into the jungle to see this for fear of them getting lost, or worse, killed, she ignores the request and takes her new friends in. Finding the waterfall is not a difficult feat and as the group splits up to have some private time together, they quickly find out that there is something lurking in the bushes. Local legend says that a Chupacabra roams the forest and feeds on anyone that enters, but thinking that this is just a myth, the group has no idea what they are in for. Being picked off one by one, the group is quickly diminished to Scott, Steph and Elena. Utilizing the new app he has developed, Scott has sent out a message for help and even though it goes viral, will help come soon enough to save them from the mythical creature that is hunting them down?
​
If I keep watching horror movies that take place in Mexico or Central America, I may never make my way back down there. One of the things that I love about this region is the history and beliefs that many people do not want to give credence to. The Chupacabra creature was great in this movie, but I am unsure if there is only one, or a band of them roaming in the jungle and that makes it pretty scary in my mind. The group dynamic is good in this movie since they are all friends, but at some points, you can tell that they are fed up with each other’s problems, just like real life.
 
I would have never thought that an app that is still in beta mode would be able to make its rounds around the world, but it is amazing to see how social media might be able to save someone in trouble, even if they are being chased by a monster or anything else. Julio really stole the show when he is able to tell his story about what lives in the jungle that has been untouched for a lifetime and what fears it has given to the locals. This just goes to show that locals might have a better idea what is happening around their homes than we do, so we might need to listen a little bit more. Stay Scared.

---