High Desert Kill Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

High Desert Kill Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 24, 2022

In the fading days of the television movie industry, Universal was still cranking out product for the small screen, with 1989’s “High Desert Kill” presented as a genre exercise in line with an extended episode of “The Twilight Zone,” offering a low-stakes mystery with touches of sci-fi. Director Harry Falk has the unenviable task of trying to make an extremely small budget work for a slightly ambitious idea, putting his faith in the cast to sell the pressure points of hunters in the wilds of New Mexico discovering that something not exactly human has joined them. If “Predator” went to therapy, that would be close to the tone of “High Desert Kill,” which spends most of its screen time dealing with tough emotions and cartoony male bonding before slowly switching over to a more generic situation of survival.

Paul was a cherished pal who perished in a horrible accident, leaving his friends, Jim (Anthony Geary) and Brad (Marc Singer), to deal with the sudden loss. Trying to celebrate Paul’s life, Jim and Brad organize their annual hunting trip into rural New Mexico, joined by Paul’s nephew, Ray (Micah Grant), with hopes to use the outing to deal with grief. The trio discovers Stan (Chuck Conners) at a campsite, with the old man standoffish at first, used to being alone. However, something isn’t right about the area, with wildlife missing and a strange presence making moves on the hunters, getting into their minds and manipulating their actions.

The teleplay for “High Desert Kill” focuses on the characters, with Jim, a scientist, and Brad, a tough guy, working to process the loss of Paul, putting their faith in routine with an annual hunting trip into New Mexico nature to help Ray, a model, shoot a deer. The first half manages these personalities, with Brad pushing for a masculine mood, getting his kicks with guns, while Jim is dealing with a private horror that’s explored throughout the picture. “High Desert Kill” adds tension with the introduction of Stan, with the seasoned hunter not too sure about others, but this divide soon melts away with the discovery that two female campers (Deborah Anne Mansy and Lori Birdsong) are near. Horniness unites the men, but they have bigger problems coming for them.

“High Desert Kill” offers scenes of a mysterious presence clouding minds, confusing the hunters and removing options to escape. The characters are stuck, confronted with an enemy they don’t understand, and while such a development seems exciting, “High Desert Kill” isn’t, taking the long way to confrontations and panic, repeatedly reinforcing its made-for-television origin.

High Desert Kill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

To give viewers a choice, Scorpion Releasing is offering their "brand new 2K master" in two aspect ratios, with 1.33:1 for television movie fanatics, while 1.78:1 is provided for a slightly more theatrical look. Detail is capable, working with intense close-ups on the actors, exploring skin particulars and age differences. New Mexico locations retain depth as the story works around the open world. Colors are acceptable, offering brighter hues on costuming choices, and skin tones are natural. Desertscapes also register as intended. Delineation has a touch of solidification at times, struggling with evening activities. Grain is occasionally on the blocky side. Source is in good condition, with some periodic speckling.

High Desert Kill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix preserves dialogue exchanges, retaining a clear sound for performance choices and strange effects as the characters are overtaken by the unseen force. Scoring cues support as needed, with decent instrumentation.

High Desert Kill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this release.

High Desert Kill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Falk doesn't have the resources to make a more visually stimulating effort, but he does well with some of the performances, giving Geary room to carry the movie with a more emotionally charged performance, and Singer commits to cranked machismo that's entertaining to watch. "High Desert Kill" reaches its level of engagement due to the actors, not the story, which has a few ridiculous moments before trying to create a bizarre ending without the cash to properly visualize it. Those weaned on anthology television will definitely have a more positive reaction to "High Desert Kill," but even fandom might have trouble fighting the sluggishness of the endeavor.