A Desert

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1:39

A Desert

2025

1h 42m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A past-his-prime photographer heads out on a road trip across the American Southwest to recapture the magic and success of his previous work. Instead, he finds himself thrust into the dark and chaotic underbelly of America and unwittingly drags his wife and a shady private detective down into this nightmare world with him. A DESERT is a sun-bleached neo-noir horror film about time, the chaos of our world, and the relevance of images in the cultural desert we are faced with today.

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Jamie Graham

Empire Magazine

Dec 1

4/5

For a movie that opens in an abandoned cinema and possesses a strong meta dimension throughout, it’s only fitting that A Desert proves so potent, its mood and meanings impossible to shake.

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Nov 18

3/5

It’s perhaps not a very profound message, but the visual and editing styles are swoony and most bewitching.

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Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

May 2

2/4

There’s only so much room for mystery in a movie whose surreal ambiguity only says so much.

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C.H. Newell

Father Son Holy Gore

Jun 26

4/5

A Desert is an eerie examination of America’s decay, in the landscape and the population, as a photographer seeking the truth accidentally comes upon a horrific truth that will do anything to prevent being revealed.

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Jun 6

2.5/4

There is a Lynchian ambition to Erkman’s work, and A Desert comes close at times to reaching those strange pinnacles of surreal discomfort that force us to confront the reality of just how dark the world can be.

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Victoria Alexander

FilmsInReview.com

May 24

A strong debut movie with a strange, forbidden setting. A terrifying point of view by the director and a true horror tale.

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Phil S.

@Xenothos Jan 17

The movie had a good story but it was too slow. Would not classify this as a horror movie.

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Claudio C

@Claudio666 Jan 9

Disappointing Conclusion (12,187 – 08 Jan 2026) The photographer Alex Clark travels to the desert to take photos of a ghost town, a military base and a pet cemetery. He calls daily his wife Sam from a phone booth. While hosted in room 6 of the Budget Inn Motel, his neighbors make noise late night and he calls the front desk. Soon Renny comes to his room to apologize and asks Alex to take a photo of his "sister" Susie Q and he. Renny brings booze and Susie convinces Alex to drink. On the next day, he meets Renny on the street and he takes Alex to go to the house where he was born in the desert. When they arrive, he stabs Alex to death. Soon Sam hires the private investigator Harold Palladino to find Alex’s whereabouts. "A Desert" (2024) is a good American low-budget thriller by Joshua Erkman. The plot is great until the moment Harold finds Sam. But the surreal and ambiguous ending disappoints the viewers. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): Not Available

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Gabriel T

@GabrielFagundes Jan 9

At a first glance, it just looks to be another "psychopath in the desert" movie, but its psychological tone sets it apart. It also has really beautiful scenes. The location they chose was wonderful. Nice, independent film. It's a 8,5 out of 10

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nilufer e

@Nilicim Jul 20

I was expecting this movie to be more scary at least a little gory. However despite certain suspense and a bit of surprises it misses the mark. Mostly boring.

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acsdoug D

@acsdoug Jun 23

A nifty modern day noir. Although I thought the ending was a bit weak it's still worth a watch.

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inta k

@intuciic Jun 23

slow paced and gruesome. not my cup of tea, even for horror movies

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Joshua Erkman

Director

David Yow

Harold Palladino

Kai Lennox

Alex Clark

Sarah Lind

Sam Clark

Zachary Ray Sherman

Renny

Ashley B. Smith

Susie Q

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A Desert: Trailer 1

1:39

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Synopsis

A past-his-prime photographer heads out on a road trip across the American Southwest to recapture the magic and success of his previous work. Instead, he finds himself thrust into the dark and chaotic underbelly of America and unwittingly drags his wife and a shady private detective down into this nightmare world with him. A DESERT is a sun-bleached neo-noir horror film about time, the chaos of our world, and the relevance of images in the cultural desert we are faced with today.

Director: Joshua Erkman
Producer: Hugues Barbier, Joshua Erkman, Justin Timms, Joe Yanick
Screenwriter: Joshua Erkman, Bossi Baker
Distributor: Dark Sky Films
Production Co: Capes and Fog, Yellow Veil Pictures
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 29, 2025
Runtime: 1h 42m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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