Fed up with movies that rely on jump scares and gore to excess to freak you out?  You’ve got to check out these two new clips for Backcountry.  The film marks Adam MacDonald’s feature directorial debut and centers on Jenn (Missy Peregrym) and Alex (Jeff Roop), a couple that takes to the woods to get away from the big city for a bit.  Alex insists he knows the way to the secluded Blackfoot Trail, but when their path disappears, they’re stuck out in the middle of nowhere with no food or water, and in bear territory.

Backcountry is due to make its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday, September 8th.  It’s already got distribution in Canada, but hopefully a domestic distributor sees it and snatches it up fast because after watching these Backcountry clips, you’ll be dying to see the full feature.  Hit the jump to check them out.

Not much happens in the first clip, but the cinematography, sound design and tone are powerful enough to turn a bear’s brief sniffing session into something incredibly foreboding, and then things intensify big time in that second one.  Having seen quite a few horror movies that go gore heavy but aren’t really scary recently, it’s quite refreshing to see a clip with zero carnage that is still so remarkably suspenseful and terrifying.  And it takes place during the daytime nonetheless.

Via Deadline.

Via Bloody Disgusting.

Here’s the official synopsis for Backcountry:

Hyper-busy executive Jenn (Missy Peregrym, Rookie Blue) and her sporadically employed boyfriend Alex (Jeff Roop) are preparing to take a break from the big city for a few days of camping and communing with the wilderness.  But when they have an unsettling encounter with Brad (Eric Balfour), a strange guy wandering through the woods alone, Alex decides to take an impromptu detour — one that leaves them at the mercy of the forest, and god knows what else.

backcountry-eric-balfourBackcountry Clips