Echo

Olde Heuvelt (Hex) loads this smart tale of a young man’s dehumanization with extravagant horror tropes while expertly avoiding cliché. By the time Swiss rescuers reach stranded mountaineer Nick Grevers, his face has been horrifically mutilated and his climbing partner, Augustin, has gone missing. Sam Avery, Nick’s lover, struggles to cope with the suggestion that whatever happened on the mountain was no accident, while Nick wonders whether he’s becoming a monster as he tries to understand why he and Augustin felt compelled to climb the innocent-looking little peak of Le Maudit in the first place. As Nick’s violent impulses slowly overtake him post-rescue, he worries that he may now embody Le Maudit’s “old and dangerous” soul. Sam, meanwhile, investigates what happened to Nick and to others who have strayed too close to Le Maudit—including the 32 people who died violently at the hospital where Nick recuperates and all those who’ve committed suicide since. Olde Heuvelt expertly contrasts Nick’s somber desperation and Sam’s desperate optimism to create a moving narrative that stops just short of going over the top. Horror fans will be thrilled. (Feb.)