Sartaj Singh
Directed by Patricia Frontain, ‘Trapped in the Rocky Mountains’ narrates a suspenseful tale of a group of college friends inadvertently reuniting at a remote cabin only to be hunted down by an unknown presence. When a group of former college friends are invited to a lodge retreat and are reunited, old resentments and secrets surface, threatening to ruin their lives and relationships. However, the social backlash they may face is the least of their concerns as someone seeks to make full use of their isolation with malicious intent. The group has to figure out who has been pulling their strings all along, lest the Rocky Mountains become their final resting place. The Lifetime thriller film creates a mystery-filled storyline surrounding the group members and their past and brings it to bear through the trepid isolation of the ski lodge retreat.
Trapped in the Rocky Mountains is a Fictional Tale of Murder Mystery in Isolation
‘Trapped in the Rocky Mountains’ narrates a fictitious tale that takes on the form of a dangerous game of Mafia, with one of the seemingly friendly faces serving as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Written by Brandi Sperry, the mystery movie is an original work but may seem familiar to some owing to real-life crimes reported taking place in the Rocky Mountains as well as notable preceding works of fiction narrating a similar story. The 2021 film, ‘The Alpines,’ has a storyline that has several parallels with that of ‘Trapped in the Rocky Mountains,’ likely creating a sense of Déjà vu for any who have watched the former.
The story follows seven friends who have grown apart over the years and are invited to a remote cabin in the Alpine wilderness for a reunion. Despite having moved on from their past lives, their past isn’t done with them, and one among them begins murdering the others. Old grudges and secrets are revealed, and the survivors must figure out who has the greatest reason to turn killer. However, the movie does have a big twist that changes the entire direction of the story, separating it from any similar works.
Parallels with True Crime Cases in Remote Wilderness
Despite the fictional nature of ‘Trapped in the Rocky Mountains,’ there have unfortunately been multiple well-documented crimes that took place along the mountain trail. Among the most contentious was the death of Toni Henthorn. Toni was hiking along the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado with her husband, Harold Henthorn, for their 12th wedding anniversary when she fell 130 feet from a cliff to her death. As Harold informed the police of the seeming accident, Toni’s family members alleged that he had pushed her.
Further investigation revealed that Harold stood to gain $4.7 million in life insurance that he had taken out on Toni, but he pled not guilty in court. Through inconsistencies in Harold’s story, his reported number of the life insurance sum, and partial footprints, a federal jury declared him guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison for murder in 2015. Furthermore, investigators also believed that he was responsible for the mysterious death of his first wife in 1995. He continued to assert his innocence and attempted to contest the decision in a federal courtroom in Denver in 2022. The case became the subject of ABC’s documentary on Hulu, ‘Wild Crime: Murder in the Rocky Mountains.’
There are a number of thriller and horror films, including ‘The Alpines,’ which use the isolated setting of a cabin in the woods to create intriguing narratives. Unfortunately, cases of mysterious deaths, as well as senseless murders, have also cropped up in such locations over the years, with the death of Toni Henthorn becoming a tragic cautionary tale. Lifetime’s ‘Trapped in the Rocky Mountains’ creates an evocative storyline and fictional characters while making full use of its atmospheric setting.
Read More: Lifetime’s Trapped in the Rocky Mountains: Filming Locations and Cast Details
