'Tribe' Review: A Psychological Descent in the Wilderness
- Romey Norton
- Jul 29
- 3 min read
By Romey Norton - July 29, 2025
Tribe opens with a striking premise: Devon, a retired professor, searches for a medieval church in the West Coast mountains after finding strange footage left by a recently deceased friend. What he discovers is creepier than he could have imagined, testing his mental and physical state. This 2025 survival thriller weaves through the past and present with themes of the supernatural, the church, cults and even a little Sci-Fi intervention.
What is the film 'Tribe' about?
The film opens with a man vlogging, from his trailer in 2024, about a new disease he has, where he can’t read symbols, and it’s getting worse but he doesn’t feel unwell. He keeps repeating “I gotta get out of here”. We are then taken back in time to what led to this moment. Devon is looking at old footage left to him by a friend who has recently passed. These videos go from normal to freaky very quickly. It really hit my ‘oh my God, nope’ button very fast.
Devon takes it upon himself to follow in his old friends footsteps and see what’s lurking in the wilderness. Here he records more strange people, creatures, and odd things and begins to delve into what they are, why they’re there and what his friend Charlie has to do with this.
The acting is great; each performance is very natural, and this is down to a very simple but relatable script. Devon’s character anchors the film as a gentle giant seeking answers and getting more than he expected. This performance is measured but expressive enough to convey desperation, memory lapse, panic, and fragile hope. His character is extremely likeable and easy to watch.
Cinematography here isn’t just scenic; it’s psychological, framing close-ups against wide, lonely shots to mirror the protagonist’s mental vastness and isolation. Home video style shooting makes the film have a strong documentary feel, which is an interesting take as it helped build that character allegiance quickly and aided in this story being believable.
The black and white shots are uneasy and build up tension quickly. Each time I was preparing for a jump-scare but I’m glad the film didn’t opt for those cheap thrills but instead kept me on the edge of my seat. There’s one scene very early on which has a creature like Slenderman mixed with something from The Descent, and that’s going to give me nightmares for the foreseeable. It's a simple shot, and it works because it’s not over-exaggerated, over edited, or overly clear.
Now, it’s the ending that falls a little weak for me. But I am like this with horror films that end by explaining everything. I like living in my own imagination and what if’s. To have a character stand, talk and explain feels an easy and weak way to end a film. The Sci-fi element didn’t work for me. The idea of a good old warped freaky cult was strong enough.
Is 'Tribe' worth watching?
Yes. For horror fans seeking something not in-your-face, but a film to challenge perception and thinking. Tribe is a quietly powerful survival-psychological thriller that invites introspection and sensory immersion. It builds atmospheric tension incredibly - I was intrigued and invested from beginning to end. I’m confident to say this is one of the best indie thrillers out there.
'Tribe' will premiere at the Grimmfest Film Festival 2025
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