Movie Review: Backtrack aka Nazi Vengeance (2014)
Backtrack is the debut horror film from director Tom Sands, and it was written by Mick Sands. It’s about a man named Ralph (Mark Drake) who is experiencing some visions of a life in which he was a soldier in Nazi Germany. Not knowing what is happening, he asks his friend Claudia (Rosie Akerman) to help him. She is able to hypnotize him so he can go into deep sleep and see more by doing a “regression”. They decide to go hiking to find some answers at one of the locations in the visions, and they bring along their significant others Andrea (Sophie Barker) and Lucas (Miles Jovian) as well. It’s hard to go into too much detail about the plot without spoiling it, but they definitely find what they are looking for, and maybe more than they wanted to find. There is an old man (Julian Glover) who has been waiting a lifetime to see them.
What we liked: Backtrack has a unique story to tell and was a fresh idea that we hadn’t seen much of in other films. Imagination and originality are always very much appreciated, and this film nailed both. This film has some excellent cinematography. There were some beautiful time-lapse shots, and the landscape is amazing in this film. There were some really nice special effects having to do with the flashbacks and some scenes where things are slipping into reality from the flashbacks. Also some nice special effects in the barn scenes. The sound department was on point. There was a great score, and the sound, in general, was solid. Sound effects, ambient sound, and the dialogue were great. The acting was great. Some of the cast didn’t have a lot of experience and still did a fantastic job, but Julian Glover has been in everything from Dr. Who, to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, The Secret Garden, The Walking Dead, and even most recently Game of Thrones. He was a pleasure to see in this as well.
What we would have liked to see: Again, it’s hard to go into too much detail without spoiling the plot when it comes to this, but we would have loved to see more backstory on the Old Man. He is a major character, and while it does explain some things, his story would have also been awesome to see more of.
Overall, Backtrack is a great concept for a film and brought a fresh approach to horror about an age-old question about mortality. It is under the title “Nazi Vengeance” in the U.K. We definitely recommend people see this one when it releases in the U.S. in 2018.
