Ghost Storm (2011): written and directed by Paul Ziller; starring Carlos Bernard (Sheriff Miller), Chrystal Allen (Ashley Barrett), Cindy Busby (Daisy Barrett), Steve Bacic (Carl), and Aaron Douglas (Greg Goropolis): Straight-to-cable horror film isn't terrible.
A storm cloud made of ghosts threatens a small island off the coast of Washington state, I assume, though it's really British Columbia. Tony of 24's Carlos Bernard is suitably stoic as the town sheriff tasked with stopping the Ghost Storm. The plot borrows a lot from Storm of the Century and John Carpenter's The Fog. Certainly an adequate time-waster with a surprisingly high body count and a Police Squad ending. Also bears some resemblance to the 2009 novel Ghost Monster by Simon Clark. Very lightly recommended.
The Devil in the Dark (2017): written by Carey Dickson; directed by Tim Brown; starring Robin Dunne (Adam), Dan Payne (Clint), and Briana Buckmaster (Sophie): Enjoyable low-budget horror-thriller filmed in and around Kelowna, British Columbia. Some of the locations are a bit too domesticated to be menacing, making an early approach along an extremely worn path/road seem a bit goofy when the menacing music swells. However, the woods are always a good place to drop people.
So maybe I wouldn't have lifted the title from the Horta episode of the original Star Trek. But anyway. Two estranged brothers go camping and hunting in an effort to reconnect after 15 years. Things go badly. What lifts the body of the movie above a standard 'Run through the jungle' horror scenario is the emphasis on the roots of this strained relationship. That and the refusal of the movie to categorically explain what is stalking them and why. It's amazing what a bit of mystery can do for your horror movie -- or at least a refusal to indulge in too much exposition.
The monster, when we see it, is interesting enough. I certainly wouldn't want to meet it when I was camping, which is why I don't go camping. The two main actors do solid work -- the family drama is believably written and believably portrayed by these two. The last five minutes or so elevate the movie from lightly recommended to a full recommendation.
