The Hills Have Some Serious Issues In Joe Lo Truglio's Isolation Horror Flick 'Outpost' (2023)
There’s something wrong with Kate. Not just the bruises on her face, made by her abusive ex, but something internal. Something that makes her see strangers staring at her before they slam her to the ground and punch her in the face. In the aftermath, Kate does what any rational person would do. She takes a job manning a remote outpost in the Idaho mountains to report forest fires. It’s a 3-month stretch in a lonely tower with occasional trips to town, and the outhouse next door. This is where “Outpost” starts, and writer/director Joe Lo Truglio knows where you think it will go. Thankfully, there are some disturbing prizes along the way.
Kate is just relieved to just get away from it all. She’s done her research on forest fires and has no problem handling annoying hiker bros, even as she deals with living in the titular outpost, which is basically a rickety shack on a mountain. The forest rangers she communicates with are skeptical of her at best, and one of the locals rubs her the wrong way. If you can’t tell this adds up to a recipe for disaster, you need therapy as much as Kate.
Lo Truglio, makes his directorial debut following an impressive comedy career as an actor on “The State,” “Brooklyn 99,” and well, everything David Wain has ever done. A lifelong horror fan, “Outpost” is a change of pace for him and his lead actress Beth Dover (who has her own impressive resumé with “Orange Is the New Black” and vastly underrated “Another Period”), who plays Kate. Dover shows some frightening shading as a woman who’s trying to hold it together every waking moment. It’s off-putting to see someone like Dover, who is typically known for reacting to funny situations, suddenly turn into a well of paranoia and dissociation. To their credit, she and Lo Truglio milk it for all it’s worth.
Dylan Baker (L) pretending not to hear Beth Dover (R) call him “Dr. Maplewood.”
It also helps to have a banger of a supporting cast which includes Dallas Roberts (“The Walking Dead,” “Mayhem”) and Ato Essandoh (“Django Unchained,” “Garden State”) as the rangers, Dylan Baker (“Spider-Man 2,” “Trick or Treat”) as the mysterious local, Becky Ann Baker (“Girls,” “A Simple Plan”) as a hiker who befriends Kate and seems to relate to her a little too much. I should note Dover is Lo Truglio’s wife and Becky Ann Baker is Dylan Baker’s wife, only because I like to imagine them conspiring to get their husbands to make a film showcasing their acting ranges like a comedy version of “Diabolique.” Good for them!
The film doesn’t quite qualify as a slow burn, but you might feel a few sections that drag. Astute horror fans might figure out where Kate’s story is headed, but Lo Truglio still manages to give it to you good and hard with a wild third act. Without spoiling anything, yes Virginia, there is a special effects budget. “Outpost” is a leap of faith into the abyss. If Lo Truglio and his actors want to pivot their careers into genre fare, they’ve shown they’re more than capable.
“Outpost” is out in Theaters and On Demand May 19th.
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