Is Horror in the High Desert real? ‘True crime documentary’ debunked

“No one just disappears,” according to Horror in the High Desert, billed by a TikToker as the “real-life Blair Witch” – but is it a real true crime documentary, or is it just a movie?

The Blair Witch Project is still the best found-footage horror movie of all time, particularly because no other film has managed to top its viral marketing in the nascency of the internet.

It fooled millions of people into believing its stars – Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams – were actually missing and possibly even dead. Other films have tried to dupe the moviegoing public in its wake, but none have succeeded on the same scale.

Except, perhaps, Horror in the High Desert, a “documentary” about a missing hiker in Nevada.

Horror in the High Desert isn’t real

Don’t worry, Horror in the High Desert isn’t a real documentary – it’s just a convincing (and under-seen) found-footage horror film.

Christie Bosch posted a TikTok advising people to watch it on Tubi. “This documentary has me so freaked out I was tearing up… this is like the real-life version of the Blair Witch,” she says in the video.

However, in the caption (which viewers may not have bothered to read), she explained how she came across the movie on a “stranger than fiction documentary list” online and was intrigued by its premise.

“After watching it I was doing my usual research and discovered this is in fact a mockumentary. I’m so glad I didn’t know this before watching because it really made me have a spooky and entertaining experience,” she wrote, even comparing it to 2008’s chilling Lake Mungo.

“The filmmakers did a really good job of making it seem like a modern-day true crime documentary… I hope by making this video the way I did people will have the same experience I did.”

It’s a smart ploy by Bosch that echoes The Blair Witch Project’s marketing gambit – if someone watches a found-footage movie believing it’s real from the outset, they’ll almost certainly be more scared.

What is Horror in the High Desert about?

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Horror in the High Desert is presented as a documentary investigating the disappearance of Gavin Hinge (Eric Mencis), a hiker who vanishes in Nevada’s Great Basin Desert.

The film features interviews with Gary’s roommate Simon (Errol Porter) and his sister Beverly (Tonya Williams-Ogden) as local reporter Gal Roberts (Suziey Block) follows the clues in his video blogs, trying to work out where exactly he ended up – leading her to a mysterious cabin.

Fun fact: the movie (directed by Dutch Marich) was filmed entirely during the pandemic and at the height of global restrictions, so all of the interviews were conducted via Zoom.

Here’s the best part: if you watch Horror in the High Desert and love it, two sequels (titled Minerva and Firewatch) are available to stream on Prime Video now, with Marich already hard at work on fourth and fifth entries in the series.

How to watch Horror in the High Desert

Horror in the High Desert is available on Prime Video now – just make sure you watch it with all of the lights turned off.

If you’ve ever searched for “underrated found-footage movies” on Reddit, Horror in the High Desert regularly appears on people’s lists – and deservedly so. Much like Blair Witch, it’s a mighty slow build, planting eerie, increasingly scary hints about what happened to Gary.

If you’re impatient and want instant scares, this isn’t the film for you (nor will you enjoy much else in the subgenre). Just watch, listen, and wait – it’s only 82 minutes long, and you won’t be disappointed.

You can also check out our list of the best horror movies ever made, and the scariest TV shows you can stream now.