2025 Horror Watch - Day 9 - Organ Trail (2023)

  This one is just a victim of its own marketing.  How are you going to call yourself Organ Trail and not have cannibals??  I don't even feel bad about it.  You did this to yourself.  Content warning:  dead animal (rabbit), blood, dog/wolf whimpering (not on-screen, but audibly a dog/wolf/coyote gets caught in a trap and chews its own foot off, then leaves a blood trail.  It's not part of the plot and is never referred to again so if you are sensitive, I would fast-forward about a minute before pressing play.)

A family in the wilderness come across another covered wagon that had its inhabitants murdered.  They take in the survivor (Olivia Grace Applegate) only to learn the hard way that she is not what she seems.  Now Abigale (Zoe de Grand Maison) must find a way to survive and avenge her family from the gang of murderers who would deliberately injure a woman to use her as bait.  

Ah, the return of Women's Horror proper.  This isn't terrible, but it's also not very good.  It's fine.  Clearly, a lot of effort and thought went into it.  It's just that the characters aren't compelling and the story is basic.  There's nothing about it that makes it unique or special.  It's not a rape-revenge, thank God, and it was written by a woman (also a plus) who gave her female characters agency and recognized that Black people existed in the Old West as landowners and contemporaries, not just slaves and servants.  All good.  I just don't think it went far enough.

If you like a little smashing-the-patriarchy with your Halloween candy, it's currently streaming on Paramount+.