There was a time when a walk in the woods, a camping trip, or a hike was family fun. Fresh air, playful wildlife, and singing songs around the campfire all created the sense of living in a Norman Rockwell universe. Today, the tide has changed, as many folks strolling outdoors become the literal fodder for tales of woe. Consumed, written and directed by The Butcher Brothers, is one such tale of woe fright in the great wilds.
The film opens with a young bald woman being chased in a wooded area. Then Beth (Courtney Halverson) wakes up, realizing it was just a nightmare; albeit it a harrowing dream that will come back in graphic detail. Beth and her husband Jay (Mark Famiglietti) love hiking in the backcountry. However, due to Beth’s cancer prognosis, that hasn’t happened much. Luckily, Beth gets to say she has been in remission for a year. What better way to enjoy nature’s beauty and a new lease on life than in the picturesque outdoors? But Beth bears the psychological scars of her treatment that anyone who has undergone a critical to-life procedure can understand. So, on her walks alone, Beth’s emotions bubble to the surface. Jay is doing his best to cope with the moments of depression by making the trip memorable. It is a personal test of her physical ability; Beth insists on making a challenging ascent and sustains a slight injury on the way. And then Jay gets caught in a bear trap.
Drawing inspiration from the larger-budgeted original Predator, with touches of Lord of the Flies, the film moves to a high point when a hermit (Devon Sawa) rescues the couple. He shelters them despite being brutally anti-social as he is consumed with the idea of revenge. Still, the hermit forms a close relationship with Beth as she treats her unconscious husband. Many of the moments between Beth and the hermit are so close that it’s like they are trying to get under each other’s skin. Then, the reason he wants revenge comes to light, which coincides with Beth making certain discoveries about herself and her predicament.
“…Beth insists on making a challenging ascent and sustains a slight injury on the way. And then Jay gets caught in a bear trap.”
Consumed works as a monster flick and as a relationship film built on emotion and pain. The hermit and Beth both have experienced pain, blood, brushes with death, and personal loss. There is a bonding of pain and purpose when the hermit sets Jay’s fractured leg. Beth was going to be gentle; the hermit gets it done in one brutal motion. Their relationship becomes tactile, almost erotic, from that moment as their conversation becomes more detailed to the point of Beth reaching for his hand. Their relationship is built on sensations that make one feel human.
The cast is strong. Sawa is compelling as the hermit, his blunt remarks and bloodthirst intrigue. Halverson does well within her arc, especially as the violence ramps up. Famiglietti is nice and likable. But even more importantly, it makes sense why Beth loves Jay so much.
Violence and horror are on full display throughout Consumed. The forest drips with a blood-splattered atmosphere, while the unease between what the hermit seeks and the couple’s helplessness ups the stakes. The Butcher Brothers are well-known for their horror titles for good reason. The film is brutal, and the horror works most of the time.
"…works as a monster flick and as a relationship film built on emotion and pain."
