With A Desert, first-time feature director Joshua Erkman plunges audiences into a sun-scorched fever dream of Americana decay, blending the grit of neo-noir and the bite of horror with impressive precision. What begins as a slow burn with shades of Cheap Thrills soon mutates into a gnarlier beast—something akin to a marriage between The Devil’s Rejects and The Hills Have Eyes. But make no mistake, A Desert is its own animal: haunting, bold, and oddly beautiful.
The film centers on a past-his-prime photographer (a phenomenal Zachary Ray Sherman) journeying through the American Southwest in a desperate attempt to reignite his creative flame. What he finds instead is a twisted underworld of chaos and corruption, dragging along his wife (Sarah Lind) and a shady private eye (Kai Lennox) into an unraveling nightmare. Erkman uses this deceptively simple setup to explore themes of time, artistic relevance, and the disturbing hollowness of modern culture.
From the opening frames, it's clear Erkman has a strong visual command. Every location is infused with character, every shot meticulously framed, giving even mundane scenes a cinematic edge. The costume design is just as telling—each outfit feels like an extension of the characters wearing them, further grounding this surreal tale in something tactile and real.
Zachary Ray Sherman is the standout here. This feels like a true breakout performance, the kind that not only anchors a film but should also propel him to even larger roles. David Yow and Kai Lennox also deliver compelling turns, while Ashley B. Smith adds a memorable edge. While the performances are strong across the board, Sarah Lind’s portrayal of the wife doesn’t quite land with the same impact, particularly as the tension ramps up.
The pacing, while mostly tight, does falter slightly in the final act, with the film running a bit longer than necessary. Still, thanks to smart editing and a killer score by Ty Segall (whose new album, Possession, drops May 30th), momentum is never lost for long. The sound design, photography, and score all work in tandem to create a deeply immersive and unsettling atmosphere.
Erkman’s background in shorts and music videos is evident in the best way. A Desert boasts a couple of truly jaw-dropping moments, with one especially brutal sequence that sears itself into your memory long after the film ends. While some may wish for a more explosive climax given all the buildup, the ending is still rewarding and tonally fitting.
This is arthouse horror done right—thoughtful, stylish, and savage when it needs to be. With only two truly graphic kill scenes, the horror here lies more in the descent, the mystery, and the thematic weight than in relentless gore.
All told, A Desert exceeds expectations and cements Joshua Erkman as a filmmaker to watch. It's a stylish, gritty debut that leaves a mark—and in this cinematic wasteland, that's no small feat.
Jessie Hobson