Horror Movie Review: The One Survivor Of Conifer (2019)

The story behind The One Survivor of Conifer’s creation is as interesting as the movie itself. Originally conceived as a short film titled The Unsurvivable World Of Conifer. Unfortunately a crowd-funding attempt ended in failure sending the plans up in smoke.

Determined to get his idea made though; writer, director and producer Curt Dennis went to the drawing board and rebuilt. Rebuilt the 15-minute short into a 77 minute feature film on next to no-budget. According to Dennis himself this budget was less then £500 and when you see the end result it really is all the more impressive.

A minimal experience, The One Survivor of Conifer relies on two things. The performance of its one and only on-screen actor, Johnny Maya and the imagination of its audience. Combine the two and what we have here is a really impressive horror flick.

The story surrounds Austin Biggs, who might as well be the last person on Earth after an unknown virus/disease/incident wiped out most of the population. Alone in an abandoned town, Austin tries to survive making sure to stay far away from the creatures that lurk nearby. Creatures that we never actually see because they ‘feel sight’. If you see them, you die. An excellent way to get around the budget issue and still tell a story.

It’s done so well too as we never see the threat but it is there and all too real.

However, the creatures aren’t the only issue that Austin faces. The more pressing one seems to be his loneliness something he tries to offset by talking to his childhood stuffed bear. What seems silly at first becomes quite endearing thanks to the great performance by Johnny Maya.

Things seem to improve for him though when he manages to make contact with a child over the radio. The pair bond over the radio but it becomes increasingly clear that the child is in danger. Will Austin be able to save his friend before the creatures get to him?

The One Survivor of Conifer is a very satisfying watch and one that deserves a hell of a lot of attention. I can’t praise the effort put in here enough and to see such an enjoyable film come from literally nothing is fantastic. There are horror films that have had millions pumped into them and don’t have even a quarter of the atmosphere this film does.

No-budget should ever put anyone off watching a film but unfortunately it does. It’s often seen as an excuse to make no effort but that’s not the case here. It really makes you wonder what the film would have been like if it had more money.