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HorrorYear2011Duration1h 30mIMDb4.5

Donner Pass

Horror

Donner Pass has a well-known and macabre history - the place where George Donner and his party got stuck in the winter of 1846 and were forced to resort to cannibalism to keep from starving. But what if it wasn't just history?

Trailer

Cast

Elise Robertson

Director

Elise Robertson

Dead Mother

Russ Russo

Jed

Joel Stoffer

Robert

Thomas Kopache

Reed

Luca Bovelli

Boy

Eric Pierpoint

George Donner

Colley Bailey

Mike

Erik Stocklin

Thomas

Adelaide Kane

Nicole

Desiree Hall

Kayley

DO

Desiray Ortiz

Waitress

Kevin P. Kearns

Carter

Andrew Reyes

Gullible SUV driver

Dominic DeVore

Derek

Brandon Morales

A.J.

AT

Antonio Trischitta

Brody

KD

Krystal Davis

Valerie

Travis Greene

Radio Announcer

RS

R. Scott Adams

Writer

MF

Mouncey Ferguson

Writer

Elise Robertson

Writer

Comments

10 Comments

Not Charli d'AmelioMay 6, 2025

Another "what if the legend is true" movie. This is about the story of Donner Pass, and how a family was abandoned in the forest. This leads to dinner time for crazy George Donor (Eric Pierpoint). So now we know this is a movie about cannibalism. Fast forward about 150 years (they may have said exactly, but was already bored) and 4 kids are going to stay at their parents cabin for the weekend in Donnors Pass. So now the stage is set to find out if the legend is true.Of course the obligatory "extra friends" show up to crash the party (which is good, we needed more people to kill). Well, the obvious occurs and the group is picked off one by one. Not particularly extremely gory or really well written either. There is one kill that is absolutely asinine it is almost worth watching just for it. Well the characters aren't worth wasting time commenting about, they are all poorly played and given nothing really to work with, so blame whomever you like (The chick that played the stuck up bitch was spot on for the girl all you women hated in high school). The scenery was very nice (I am a sucker for snow covered mountains, too bad they didn't utilize this more) and is filmed quite nicely for the budget I am sure this had. If by now you haven't figured it out, the movie is not very good at all. No scares, very little story until the writers must've all of a sudden had an epiphany and decided to pull the story together(should they be vampires, or zombies, or just cannibals). IF you have nothing else to watch and you DON'T have to pay for it, then I guess it is up to you. But make sure you meet those guidelines. Also if you really have a need to watch a movie about cannibals and would like to see how they can be made well, watch "Ravenous", you will definitely be happy you did. Anyway, I will stop degrading this movie as the worst ever, it really isn't, it just has so many flaws that it makes it tough to swallow (kind of like human flesh, not that I would know ;) 3.6/10 IMDb 4.6 (many cast members must be voting)

Tima’sworldDec 24, 2023

I had no hopes for this, and it was the right way to go into it. It's your average mind-numbingly uncreative "horror" film full of predictable plot twists and terrible stereotypes. There is not a single scene in this movie which was enjoyable, so I'm glad it's only 90 minutes. I have nothing else to say besides how obvious the ending is, but I just don't feel like spoiling it. The less I think about, the happier I am that I won't have to sit through it again. PS: There is a topless scene which, you know, as I guy I tolerated, but the 'gore' aspects of the movie were just /awful/. I can't even think of a way to make this better. I just want it to go away.

majesty TwinsDec 23, 2023

A group of unlikable 'teens' all of whom look like they're rapidly approaching 30 and act 10, go up to vacation at a remote cabin that's close to the fabled Donner Pass are stalked by an unknown killer. I'm more prone to be a tad lenient with first time writer/directors, and while Elisa Robertson may have done TV movies previously, I believe this might be her first stab at a feature film. However that self-imposed courtesy is surely tested here as everything about the movie is dreadful. From the atrocious sub-par high school play caliber acting, to the awful threadbare plot, and every mundane thing in between, this movie screams out to be publicly ridiculed. So yea, well I guess rules were made to be broken. Eye Candy: Krystal Davis gets topless My Grade: D- Where I saw it: the movie channel

HadeelDec 23, 2023

Donner Pass (2012) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Everyone knows the legend of the Donner Party but this slasher takes place in the current days when a group of teens head out to the title location and soon they're being slaughtered one by one. Has the Donner's finally came back to life or is it an escaped maniac running loose? DONNER PASS is a pretty good looking movie and I'd say if it had at least one major star in it then it could have gotten a major theatrical release. The past couple years I've been saying that the horror genre is really struggling but this here actually turned out to be one of the better slashers in recent years. There's no question that there are still many flaws to be found but for the most part the film kept me entertained and that's the most important thing. I think one of the best things going for the picture is the wonderful location. Director Elise Robertson really builds up a great atmosphere and the beautiful snow and woods really draw you into the location and makes you feel that you're right there with the teens. I thought the location was a major plus but so were the performances. You really don't come to a horror film like this expecting good performances but that's exactly what you get. Desiree Hall is very good in the female lead and we get nice support from Erik Stocklin as the cabin owner and Colley Bailey as his friend. Adelaide Kane plays one of the most hated characters you're going to see and she's very good in the part but the screenplay really lets us down given what happens to her. The supporting, smaller roles are also played very well by the actors. As is the case with most horror movies today, there's a big twist at the end but it's pretty easy to figure out what's going to happen. When the twist finally does come I think the film starts to fall apart but this isn't a complete death nail. Visually the film is quite impressive and the score is good as well. The only thing really missing is a good third act. Still, the state of horror movies today is pretty weak and DONNER PASS at least offers some old fashion blood and guts, nudity and a nice cast.

Omowunmi AroleDec 22, 2023

True story: in 1864, a group of emigrants travelling through Donner Pass, California, became trapped by such heavy snow that some of them eventually resorted to cannibalism in order to survive. Not quite so true story: in 2014, BA_Harrison resorted to chewing off his own legs in order to relieve his frustration at watching yet another run-of-the-mill slasher in which a bunch of unlikeable teens get slaughtered by a homicidal maniac. After a reasonable intro in which we witness the gruesome events of Donner Pass, 1864, this film follows a group of present-day teens who travel to a remote cabin for a weekend break only to be bumped off one-by-one by a mysterious killer. Ho-hum. To be fair, Donner Pass does get slightly better towards the end, when the plot takes a strange turn involving rape/revenge, and a cannibalistic antagonist who can pass 'the hunger' to his victims, but for the most part it is routine teen-friendly nonsense the likes of which we have seen countless times before. A brief bit of topless action from a soon-to-be-dead blonde in a hot-tub and some reasonable gore (including one character who gets a pick-axe through the throat AND a claw hammer in the eye for good measure) helps to make the time pass a bit less painfully, but you won't be missing much if you decide to pass on Donner Pass.

Ali Haider CheemaDec 22, 2023

It's not a bad movie, really, has some pretty good ideas, yet, somehow, something just doesn't work out too good. So, you could call it your average "group of friends go to a cabin in the woods and get murdered" story but it would be kinda ignorant cause the movie is a little more than this. The plot brings some new elements or maybe just ones that aren't used as often as others, so, you might like what you see, even be surprised for a change! The death-scenes on the other hand, quite disappointing, i expected a little more, guess they decided not to stick so much on gore/murders/execution but on plot. Usually i would call this a breathe of fresh air although i would be lying cause in a horror like this, i want to see nice kill-shoots. Overall, the action is OK, one could predict it earlier in the movie or might just go with it to the end and discover then what the action is all about. Characters are OK also, annoying but guess that is how they were suppose to be, dialogue, a little poor, could have used some humor and last but not least a little nudity as always. So, don't know exactly if to recommend this one or not, as i said, it is NOT a bad movie, don't know if i can call it a GOOD one, guess ultimately it will come down to everyone's personal opinion. Some of you will be entertained and some of you won't. I just expected more of it, had a lot of potential but it limited itself to far less...

Sandra_mensahDec 22, 2023

Overall the movie was really good. I only watched it because I really like the Donner Party Story and because I don't read synopsis I assumed this movie was about the original story. I was mad when the first 5 minutes were very wrong about the actually events. When it turned out it was a horror movie based on the events I was willing to give it a chance. It turned out to be a really good lower budget with good actors and an unexpected plot twist. For a movie in it's class the acting, casting and production value was excellent. Overall a good horror movie for any one who enjoys them and I would definitely recommended it.

Hajer _💜Dec 21, 2023

Donner Pass has a well-known and macabre history -- the place where George Donner and his party got stuck in the winter of 1846 and were forced to resort to cannibalism to keep from starving. But what if it was not just history? This is your standard young people alone in a secluded area type of horror film. There is some attempt to connect it to the legendary Donner Party, but it is done in such a way as to seem gratuitous and really outside the overall tone and thrust of he film. If someone were to make a film inspired by the story or actually set at the time, I think it could work well. "Ravenous" was a great film, for example. This one, though, is nothing special.

DzidzorDec 21, 2023

I bought "Donner Pass" (2012) blindly, thinking it was a film about the Donner expedition that resorted to cannibalism to survive the winter of 1846-47 because a pass in NE California was blocked with snow. Well, it starts out that way, but the story soon shifts to the misadventures of a modern-day group of youths who stay at a vacation cabin in the dead of winter where someone or something starts viciously mauling the kids one by one. Ah, this made it more interesting (I really wasn't in the mood to see a depressing tale of Winter survival through cannibalism anyway). Gorgeous redhead Desiree Hall shines as the female protagonist and there's at least one solid male protagonist as well. One guy -- who's family owns the cabin -- is an awkward misfit; and the good-lookin' brunette he's sort of set-up with disdains him (cutie Adelaide Kane). The social dynamics get real interesting when a second group of uninvited youths join the party and tensions start to flare. I've been in situations just like this and it rings true. Dominic DeVore stands out as one of the bad dudes. Although I label "Donner Pass" a slasher adventure, it's just as much a monster flick, even if the "monster" turns out to be human, which I'm not saying. So, really, this is just a classic creature feature utilizing the true story of the infamous pass. I'm giving it a fairly high rating because it's a good modern example of the slasher genre. Everything jells together for an effective horror romp in the California wilderness (shot at Big Bear Lake, San Bernardino National Forest and Monterey Park, California). Another plus is the awesome song played during the opening & end credits -- "High Ground" by Orenda Fink. The film doesn't overstay its welcome at 90 minutes. GRADE: B+ or A-

Esraa deebDec 21, 2023

I just this few nights ago, I most forgot the name of the movie than. Tell you the truth. I can't remember much from the movie, nothing in this movie stood out at all. The opening scenes was good and decent semi-long back story at the start about DONNA PASS. A number of teens going to cabin in the woods during winter and soon then later people start to killed of one by one. The deaths were mostly of screen but when they are on screen , they so far away. I found some scenes to really silly and stupid in this movie and the whole plot was predicable. There is some kind of twist in the movie, you know who killer is from the very start of the movie. There a little small turn in story about girl turning into what ever she was meant to be. Well a least acting was Decent from some of the cast! 2 out of 10

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