Nearly Perfect Sci-Fi Thriller Is A Doorway Into Strange New Worlds

By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 33 seconds ago

The found footage genre is hit and miss: either it produces incredible thrills like Hell House LLC, or it is a bore until the big scare, like Paranormal Activity. Despite roots in found footage scenes from larger movies like Cannibal Holocaust, the genre began with the groundbreaking sleeper hit The Blair Witch Project, and there have been numerous knockoffs that have tried to capture the tone and the box office of that 1999 horror gambit.

Hostile Dimensions is more sci-fi than horror, but it uses the found footage concept to document the exploration of other dimensions the characters discover while looking for a missing graffiti artist.

What’s the logical thing to do when you find an uninstalled door in the middle of a room in an abandoned building? Take it home, of course! When protagonists Sam (Annabel Logan) and Ash (Joma West) do that while searching for graffiti artist Emily (Josie Rogers), they find out the door opens up to other dimensions.

The stunned duo are documentary filmmakers and decide to record further explorations around and into the strange door. Enlisting the help of friends and experts, they learn how the doors are used and film themselves as they pioneer new worlds. But for Sam, there is more to find beyond the threshold, and the search for Emily takes a dark turn.

Hostile Dimensions really seems like it was filmed with home equipment like GoPros and mini recorders. Unlike many found-footage films, where audiences are left wondering why the characters kept the camera rolling instead of escaping, this movie offers credible reasons for continuing to film during the action. We are constantly reminded by the characters that they’re documenting their experiences, especially when they turn to experts to research the strange doorway.

It also doesn’t fall into the trap of other found-footage movies, which document every… single… tedious… thing. Something is happening in every scene, and it uses its mockumentary format to excuse things like edits that gloss over long periods of time. It clocks in at 80 minutes and doesn’t waste a second of running time boring the audience with long sequences of people sleeping.

The movie was well received by critics because its writer and director, Graham Hughes, had already made Death of a Vlogger, another effective mockumentary horror, and Hostile Dimensions was a strong sophomore film for his resume. The praise mostly went to the good use of a small budget and the location scouting for the various settings that comprise the other dimensions. The lore and its supporting documentation are intriguing, introducing the audience to an ancient mystery hiding in plain sight, with an attention to detail spanning the ages of art and history.

It is not a perfect movie. Hostile Dimensions’ low budget occasionally bursts its seams, especially amongst some of the performers. It doesn’t rely on special effects, which are creative and practical but also sometimes betray their inexpensiveness. It’s also not exactly a horror movie, leaning more into its science fiction themes than bringing chills or scares.

Despite, or maybe because of, these flaws, Hostile Dimensions tells a story about a woman who wants to explore, even if it means leaving this world. It’s a universal tale that takes her and its audience to places best described as the uncanny valley, leaving an eerie resonance and an exciting, glorious resolution full of humor and mystery.

Would you open the door? Find out by checking out Hostile Dimensions on Amazon Prime or Shudder.