Horror In The High Desert – Gary Hinge

A pseudo-documentary that uses the popular found footage narrative technique, this independent film centers on the mysterious disappearance of outdoors and survival enthusiast Gary Hinge. Its setting in the Nevada desert adds to the ominous atmosphere of the movie. A few weeks after his truck was recovered, search and rescue workers found a backpack that contained Gary’s severed hand and his video camera. Forensic analysis revealed what happened to him on one fateful night.

What Happened To Gary Hinge?

Dutch Marich terrified found footage fans with his 2021 film Horror in the High Desert, which followed the disappearance of an experienced outdoor enthusiast who was attempting to visit a mysterious cabin that he mentioned in one of his YouTube videos. The movie’s pseudo-documentary format combined talking heads, drone footage, and fictional found footage to tell the story of gary hinge disappearance in the Nevada wilderness. Like many other popular YouTube vloggers, Gary had thousands of followers who listened to his advice about the outdoors and followed him on hiking expeditions. He was an expert on desert areas and often shared photos and video clips of his discoveries in the wilderness.

Several weeks before his disappearance, Gary recorded and uploaded a video saying that he was unable to visit the desert area in which he had recently discovered a mysterious cabin because he felt threatened by it. In the video, he promised to return to the area with his camera to record more footage of the location. In the clip, Gary also said that he would not reveal the location of the cabin because he did not want to encourage inexperienced hikers to risk their lives in the wilderness. After being cyber-bullied on his YouTube channel, Gary vowed to return to the cabin with a gun for protection.

When he finally returned to the desert, Gary was killed by a disfigured monstrous stranger who severing his camera-clad hand. The gruesome murder made waves in the media and caused panic amongst online viewers, especially given that the Covid-19 pandemic had sent people home from work and school. It is not surprising that some viewers have questioned the accuracy of the movie, particularly its final scene. The revelation that Gary was killed by a disfigured monster may have been meant to shock the audience, but it could be seen as a cheap trick to grab attention and viewership. Despite this, the film’s other elements, including shaky camera work, the stench of smoke, and dizzying music, still managed to create an unsettling atmosphere and scare the audience.

What Happened To Gary Hinge’s Body?

Gary Hinge was an outdoor enthusiast and survivalist who documented his trips on his YouTube channel, where he had amassed over 50 thousand subscribers. His videos were a mix of talking head interviews and beautiful landscape footage. His style of vlogging tapped into a primal urge to explore the unknown and evoked feelings of anticipation in his audience. He often used the “found footage” narrative style popularized by films like The Blair Witch Project to create a sense of uneasiness. During his last trip, Gary ventured into the Nevada high desert to investigate a small cabin he had discovered on a previous hiking expedition. He was expected to return home a few days later, but when he didn’t, his roommate Simon Rodgers contacted the police. An investigation began, but it was eventually determined that Gary had disappeared. Several clues were found at the scene, including an empty backpack and Gary’s severed hand. His video camera was also missing.

It was speculated that Gary had been attacked by a disfigured man in the woods. The film’s ending is ambiguous, but it could be that the man was a spirit from the area’s past who viewed him as an intruder who needed to be stopped. It is possible that the man hacked off Gary’s hand because he feared that he was about to be lost in the wilderness forever. Horror in the High Desert takes advantage of Nevada’s ominous reputation for conspiracies and menacing geographical attributes to create an unnerving film. It is also based on a true story, which happened to Kenny Veach, an outdoorsman who vanished after posting a video of his discovery of a cave. Like Gary, Veach was a YouTube content creator who relied on his followers to propel him into the wilderness to explore and document natural phenomena.

When he was discovered to be missing, it led to a frenzy of social media speculation about aliens, witches, and even cannibals being responsible for his disappearance. His family was distraught and pleaded with him to return home. Veach’s body was never found, but his rucksack was found with his severed hand inside holding his video camera.

What Happened To Gary Hinge’s Video Camera?

During his last video blog post, Gary Hinge mentions that he is going on an excursion to explore a cabin in the backcountry where he has previously been. When he doesn’t return after two days, his housemate Simon Rodgers and sister Beverly report him missing to the police. They begin a search that narrows down to the area where he was exploring in the Great Basin Desert in Nevada. When the police arrive at his truck, they find numerous prints that do not match Gary’s and deem it a crime scene.

Despite their best efforts, they are unable to find the missing hiker. However, they are able to track down his mutilated camera clutching hand at a campground in the same vicinity of the mystery cabin.

In an attempt to make sense of what happened, the authorities enlist the help of a local expert on the supernatural. Bill Salerno scours the internet and discovers that Gary used to have a YouTube channel where he posted videos about his hiking and survival adventures under the name Scorpion Sam. He then starts digging into the vlogger’s past and uncovers that he was the victim of cyber-bullying and vanished after trying to prove a myth about a haunted cabin in the backcountry. The film splices made-up talking heads, gorgeous landscape shots, and the found footage narrative technique popularized by The Blair Witch Project to create an exceptionally unnerving story that appeals to the audience’s instinctive anxiety. Shaky camera work, burnt and blurry infrared footage, and an excellent use of creepy background sounds all conglomerate into a terrifying climax that sends a chill down the audience’s spine.

While the movie’s ending left a lot to be desired, there is a possibility that a sequel could be in the works. Producers of the film have announced that they plan to explore the social media angle in a future installment. This might include the vlogger’s followers and their attempts to solve the case of what really happened to Gary Hinge in the wild. The movie may also examine whether or not the ghost who attacked him was actually a supernatural figure guarding a sacred space.

Was Gary Hinge Ever Found?

When hiker and survivalist Gary Hinge vanished from the Nevada high desert, his fans and followers were extremely concerned. After a thorough search by authorities and his friends, it was finally revealed that he had never returned from the wilderness trip that he took that fateful day. The discovery of his severed hand, still holding his video camera, and the eerie smell of smoke in the air lead many to suspect that something supernatural or even paranormal had occurred. Dutch Marich’s 2021 film Horror in the High Desert is a pseudo-documentary style found footage movie that follows the disappearance of outdoorsman and hiking content creator Gary Hinge in the Nevada high desert. The film is one of the most unnerving found footage films in history, utilizing its location and menacing landscape to full effect.

The film opens with a standard mockumentary approach, complete with all of the typical tics that this genre of film utilizes (breathless statements, teasing, and over-dramatic build-ups), but quickly moves into a found footage sequence. This part of the story utilizes the first person perspective that Gary’s camera provides, a technique that plays well into the sense of realism that this kind of narrative style often aims to achieve. During this segment of the film, we learn more about Gary and his relationship with his sister and his roommate Simon. We also get to know more about the places that Gary loves to explore and his passion for the outdoors. This helps to establish his character as someone who is both relatable and interesting, which in turn makes the audience curious about him.

Conclusion

After a few more found footage segments, we learn that Gary was headed back to the cabin that he had explored previously. Despite the fact that he had stated in his previous videos that he did not want to return because he did not feel safe there, he decided to go anyways. While he is in the process of traveling to the little cottage, he begins to become increasingly frightened. His voice becomes shaky, and the music starts to sound disorienting. He also begins to notice a smell of smoke and hear strange chanting in the distance.