The Pyramid (film)

''The Pyramid'' is a 2014 American found footage supernatural horror film directed by Grégory Levasseur, in his directorial debut, produced by Alexandre Aja, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The plot follows an archaeological team attempting to unlock the secrets of a lost pyramid only to find themselves hunted by an insidious creature. The film stars Ashley Hinshaw, Denis O'Hare, James Buckley, and Daniel Amerman. ''The Pyramid'' was released on December 5, 2014, and was negatively received by critics.

Plot

In Egypt, a three-sided pyramid is discovered buried beneath the desert surface by an archaeological team led by Dr. Miles Holden. After a remote-controlled rover vehicle sent to map the interior goes offline the team enters the pyramid to recover it. They soon become lost and enter a room with an unstable floor that collapses beneath them, injuring Zahir whose leg is crushed and pinned beneath debris. Sunni attempts to climb back up but is attacked by an emaciated feline creature and forced to retreat. The team leaves Zahir to look for a way out. Moments later, Zahir's screams are heard - the team return to find only his severed leg left pinned under the rock.

Chased through a tunnel by a pack of the creatures, they are rescued by an Egyptian soldier who is then killed by a larger creature. The team comes upon a carved mural that depicts passages from the Book of the Dead and its guide to immortality – Anubis's weighing of the heart for access into the afterlife. Sunni falls into a pit and is impaled on several spikes before she is set upon by the creatures. The team try to rescue her but she succumbs to her injuries and they are forced to retreat.

The team finds a burial chamber which contains the corpse of a 19th Century explorer along with his journal detailing a possible escape route. As Holden examines the map, a clawed hand stabs through his chest, tearing out his heart. His daughter Nora and cameraman Fitzie flee, but after realizing they're trapped, they return to find Holden still alive tied to a large scale. The large creature re-enters the room and Nora identifies it as the Egyptian god Anubis, who weighs Holden's heart to determine his worthiness to enter the afterlife. He dies when Anubis eats his heart.

After Anubis leaves, Nora and Fitzie decipher hieroglyphs in the chamber that indicate the pyramid was constructed to imprison Anubis, who is seeking to reunite with his creator, Osiris. They find an air shaft with a ladder left behind by the soldier, but are pursued by Anubis, who kills Fitzie. Now alone, Nora is captured by Anubis. Tied to an obelisk, she uses a blade hidden in her hand to cut through her bonds. Once free, she wounds Anubis, who is then attacked by a horde of cats. Nora climbs her way to freedom and collapses just before clearing the pyramid's exit. She awakens to find a child playing with her camera. Anubis suddenly appears from the dark and lunges at them as the screen cuts to black.

Cast

* Ashley Hinshaw as Dr. Nora Holden
* Denis O'Hare as Dr. Miles Holden
* James Buckley as Terry 'Fitzie' Fitsimmons
* Christa-Marie Nicola as Sunni Marsh
* Amir K as Michael Zahir
* Faycal Attougui as Corporal Shadid
* Philip Shelley as The Provost
* Ait Hamou Amine as Boy
* Omar Benbrahim as Chubby Intern
* Joseph Beddelem as Taxi driver
* Chakir El Faaiz as Skinny Digger
* Daniel Amerman as Luke
* Garsha Arristos as Egyptian Worker

Production

In The Pyramid (2014), the production process brought together a creative team known for their work in the horror genre. Directed by Grégory Levasseur in his directorial debut, the film was produced by Alexandre Aja, Chady Eli Mattar, Mark Canton, and Scott C. Silver. Levasseur and Aja had previously collaborated on several projects, including High Tension and Mirrors, making their pairing on this film notable for genre fans."The Pyramid (2014)." Letterboxd. https://letterboxd.com/film/the-pyramid-2014/

The screenplay was written by Daniel Meersand and Nick Simon. Executive producers included Robert O. Kaplan, Alfred S. Newman, and Justine Raczkiewicz. Production companies involved were Silvatar Media, Fox International Productions, and Atmosphere Pictures."The Pyramid (2014) - Full Cast & Crew." IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2799166/fullcredits

Filming took place in Morocco, chosen for its desert terrain resembling the film's Egyptian setting. The found footage style was emphasized through cinematographer Laurent Tangy's lens, contributing to the claustrophobic tone of the story. Marco Trentini led the production design, while the film’s ancient Egyptian set details were enhanced by Alessandro Santucci’s art direction and Alessandra Querzola’s set decoration.

The musical score was composed by Nima Fakhrara, whose electronic soundscape added to the tension within the pyramid. Editing was overseen by Scott C. Silver. Visual effects were supervised by Rich Thorne, with support from teams including Casey Curtis and Amine Harfouche. These effects were essential in creating the film’s supernatural threats and collapsing environments.

The Pyramid was distributed by 20th Century Fox and released in the United States on December 5, 2014. While it received mixed reviews, it stood out for its combination of ancient horror and modern found footage techniques."The Pyramid." 20th Century Studios. https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/the-pyramid

Release

On July 7, 2014, 20th Century Fox picked up the distribution rights to the film, and was set for a release date for December 5, 2014. It was then released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 5, 2015, as well on video on demand on April 17, 2015.

Box office

;North America
Released on December 5, 2014, in 589 theatres, the film underperformed, earning only $1.3 million. Although investors originally expected the film to make more than $20 million domestically, it made less than $2.8 million.

;Other territories
Outside North America, the film was released on the same day in 18 markets including the U.K., Russia and Vietnam. It earned $14.1 million internationally.

Reception

''The Pyramid'' was panned by critics, with Moviefone and CraveOnline both naming it one of the worst films of 2014. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 13%, based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 3/10. The site's consensus reads "Poorly lit and thinly writ, ''The Pyramid'' houses little more than clunky dialogue, amateurish acting, and dusty found-footage scares." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 24 out of 100 based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Lelsie Felperin of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' called it "a stinker in every sense." Drew Taylor of The Playlist wrote, "''The Pyramid'' is cursed. Only, instead of an ancient evil, it's just plagued by inept filmmaking." Alonso Duralde of ''The Wrap'' said, "The ultimate moral of ''The Pyramid'', and of almost every other film where an underground mummy or scarab or tomb wreaks havoc, is that some things were never meant to be uncovered. Some movies, too."

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyramid, The (film)
2014 films
2014 horror films
2014 horror thriller films
American supernatural horror films
American supernatural thriller films
American monster movies
Found footage films
Films directed by Grégory Levasseur
20th Century Fox films
Mummy films
2010s monster movies
Films set in Egypt
Films based on Egyptian mythology
2014 directorial debut films
2010s English-language films
2010s American films
Anubis
English-language horror thriller films
English-language science fiction horror films
Films scored by Nima Fakhrara