Remember back in grade school when you got to hop on one of the computers and load up The Oregon Trail, one of history’s most beloved educational video games, complete with teachings such as resource management, how to make decisions in dire situations, and the fact that sometimes, the forces of nature were just too mighty to overcome back in the day?
Well, it’s been reimagined as a gritty horror film.
Following the dystopian trend of transforming childhood properties into gruesome horror films, including Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, The Mean One, and the laughably titled Bambi: The Reckoning, Paramount’s new film Organ Trail has brought the classic video game/history lesson into the mix; indeed, a decision was definitely made here.
Starring Zoé De Grand Maison, Olivia Applegate, Clé Bennett, and Sam Trammell, Organ Trail follows the plight of Abigale Archer, the lone survivor of a family that found themselves brutally slaughtered by a pack of bandits whilst venturing across 1870s-era America. Hellbent on getting her horse back from the bandits’ cruel hands, Abigale dives back into the proverbial lion’s den, and dying of dysentery quickly becomes the least of her worries.
It’s sad to say, but given that the first and only trailer came out less than a day before Organ Trail‘s theatrical release, it’s no difficult task to gauge Paramount’s faith in this particular release. Perhaps they found out in post-production that an indie game studio had already beaten them to the punch with this otherwise clever play on words, and are now trying to avoid a lawsuit?
If you’re still determined to take this plunge, Organ Trail is now playing in theaters and will receive a digital release less than a month later on May 12.
