Genre: Adventure/Horror
Director: Antonio Campos
Writer: Billy Cruder
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Jack Huston, Ron Livingston, Thomas Jane, Jay Hernandez, Clive Standen, Barry Pepper, Rachel Nichols, Alexa Demie, Lais Ribeiro
5.30 am, at dawn, the harbor master's office of the town of Davy's Landing, Maine, sighted a boat that was clearly drifting along the horizon. Commander Henry Wallace (Ron Livingston) is having breakfast with his wife Elisabeth (Rachel Nichols) before leaving for work when he is warned of the unknown ship adrift. Henry greets and kisses his wife before heading to the port. Once Henry arrives he decides to get them on the ship because, despite repeated attempts to contact the crew by radio, no one has ever answered. Wallace and his subordinates speculate that due to the violent storms of the previous days, the instrumentation on board should have been damaged and therefore no one could answer. Wallace and his men arrive on the ship in distress, on the side they read the name West Virginia. The men immediately noticed the poor condition of the ship, all the masts on the deck had been uprooted from the base and the general structure had numerous damages. Its inclination to starboard also suggested that on that side there were one or more small leaks from which water entered. Wallace starts screaming and looking for the presence of any survivors. As the group slowly wanders around the ship they begin to find some human traces. Shortly after they find many corpses, some rotten or in a state of decomposition and others still well preserved. Henry initially orders the others to stay back because he had an idea that the cause of the deaths was a terrible epidemic of unknown origin but then realizes that all the bodies had horrible sharp wounds. Suddenly a body, near the cockpit, moved and began to speak in a low voice. The man is seriously injured and in addition the wounds have also become infected. Henry approaches and the man introduces himself to be scholar and researcher Trevor Philip Hoare (Tom Hiddleston) and claims to be the last survivor of the West Virginia crew and almost tearfully asks that as a last wish he wanted his family and that of the crew members were informed of their terrible end. Afterwards he with the last of his strength he hands Wallace a small notebook. A moment the man dies. At that point the captain and his men must absolutely abandon the ship, which had begun to sink due to the serious damage, and return to the mainland. Henry, visibly worried, returns to his house and begins to leaf through the diary curious to read if there were any clues to the terrible end of ship West Virginia. His wife prepares him a cup of tea and lets him read.
1921, Portland
Philip Hoare is hosting some of his future expedition companions at his home, all quite rich and important people who live in the city. Theodore Willburne (Thomas Jane), ethnologist; Percival von Meer (Barry Pepper) a geographer; Simon Smith (David Harbour) an adventurer, explorer and war hero decorated with a Medal of Valor; Patrick Mckrane (Jack Huston), Captain of the West Virginia ship, Louis Clark Goldberg (Wyatt Russell), a young and very wealthy Maine lumber magnate, expedition promoter and of course Trevor Philip Hoare. Louis had developed a keen interest in American history prior to the arrival of the white colonists on the continent. At the end of the dinner Louis takes out a crumpled sheet of parchment and then spreads it out on the large table. The object was a very detailed ancient map of the Amazon that dates back to three or four centuries earlier. A path was traced on it which, going up the Amazon River and entering the hinterland, led to a precise marked point marked with the name of El Dorado. Louis explains that he accidentally took possession of the map which until then was stored in a trunk in the attic of his Portland home and found it being cleaned of unused objects and furniture. The map was dated to the late 1500s and designed by Spanish cartographers. The occasional discovery had rekindled his passion for pre-Columbian civilizations and he decided to organize an expedition to reach that mysterious place no one seems to know anything about. The men are working out the final details. Captain McKrane makes it known that West Virginia and her crew are almost ready to depart and only a few details are missing to fix. Smith informs that he had studied an optimal and risk-free route, which, once they arrived in Belém, the first South American stop, would lead them to their destination. Louis puts his full faith in the war hero's exploratory talent and his presence seems to inspire a certain sense of security. The group is excited by the trip, the only man who seems to be more dubious is Hoare. However, at the end of the evening the group decided that they would leave on Monday of the following week.
The following Monday the whole group is ready to leave. Hoare is struck by the majesty of West Virginia, a strong and reliable looking ship. In addition to the researchers and crew there are also some former Smith's comrades who will have the role of armed escort, including Benjamin Hocker (Clive Standen). The crossing of the Atlantic Ocean begins and the group seems united, there are many conversations both of an academic nature and of lighter topics. Benjamin Hocker turns out to be a great talker who is very sociable and understanding. At one point he takes off his shirt and reveals himself to be full of scars all over his body caused by the explosion of a bomb in the war. A few days later they stopped at the Bermuda Islands, where Mckrane, in agreement with Louis, decided to stop for a day. A particularly welcome stop in Willburne, who continually suffers from terrible seasickness while Hoare and von Meer, despite being also on the first ocean crossing, seem not to be affected.
Hoare was delighted by the beauty of those lands, the climate is excellent, the people are nice and the water is crystal clear. The man begins to draw the landscape showing his talent to the whole group. On April 19, the ship arrives in the port of Belem, Brazil. The ship is docked and the group disembarks. Hoare, Willburne, Van Meer and Hocker take the opportunity to visit the city, but almost immediately Hocker disappears to meet local girls inside a club. Hocker specifically knows a flirtatious girl named Lola (Alexa Demie). After a few glasses of alcohol, he reveals everything about the trip to the woman. Meanwhile Goldberg and Smith were absent to find the guide Esteban de Vueltia (Jay Hernandez) who with his boat called Santa Linda will lead the expedition through the Amazon. Hocker is forced to greet the girl, who follows him and manages to hide in the Santa Linda. McKrane and some of the crew will await the return of the adventurers to Belem. Among mosquitoes, an incredible heat, the boat is going up the river. Von Meer jots down news about plants and animals in a notebook. Suddenly a crew member leans too far and falls into the water causing some laughter. Esteban says that the river is full of crocodiles and that the man must be recovered immediately. While Hoare is helping the man a crocodile to get back on the boat, a large crocodile arrives that bites the arm and takes it away coloring the water red.
A few hours after the unfortunate event he arrived in Manaus, the largest city located within the lush and boundless forest mass. Manaus was built on the banks of the Amazon River at the behest of the Spanish colonizers and serves as a natural river port. The group stopped for half a day to stock up on food and ammunition. Lola reveals her presence to Hocker, who is surprised to see her, and they seclude themselves in a filthy motel. The girl wants to convince Hocker to take her with him and in case of her find some wealth in El Dorado to appropriate it. Subsequently Goldberg decides to anticipate the departure in the middle of the night despite Esteban's contrary opinion. Meanwhile Hoare was beginning to have some trepidation as the point of arrival was now near. A couple of days later, Louis suddenly decides to abandon the current geographic maps they have used up to that point by relying on the map of the conquistadors. As soon as he sees it, de Vueltia visibly frightened says that the place is cursed. There was a quarrel between Louis and De Vueltia and in the end they agree that the Brazilian would escort the group to the landing along the river and that then the group would undertake the end of the journey on foot, without any more help from him and by his men. Louis's map is too old and imprecise to provide certain geographic coordinates, the Santa Linda took a tributary of the Amazon River until it reached the end of the canal. On the shore, covered with lush trees, there were two ruined stone columns typical of the Inca style, crushed by some unknown climbing plants. The group descends to the ground and realizes how the columns are covered with hieroglyphs that not even Louis, one of the leading experts on the subject, could interpret. At this point they unloaded the equipment and Smith, appointed by Louis as second-in-command, gives everyone a gun. Hoare agrees despite him never having shot him in his life. His face, however, begins to express concern that he had to penetrate the unknown. The group set out on foot, leaving De Vueltia and his crew in the Santa Linda. Lola also begins to follow the group in secret, helped by Hocker who remains at the back of the group, a bit detached from the others.
After a few hours Lola suffers an attack from a snake and lets out a scream being discovered by the other adventurers. Hocker vouchers for her and Louis recommends that he keep an eye on her. After a couple of days of walking, following the map, the adventurers arrive in El Dorado. They face a titanic stone door beautifully decorated with jewels and metals of all types and colors. The whole group was delighted. Hoare advises Louis to give a speech to the other members of the group, so before he enters, Louis gathers everyone and says that this is only a scientific mission and that the artifacts that will be taken will be treated as archaeological finds and that it will be forbidden to loot in disproportionate way. Everyone nodded even though some faces looked anything but reassuring. It was late in the evening, they would enter at the first light of dawn.
Shortly before dawn Smith wakes up and notices that three members of the group, plus Hocker and Lola, have disappeared. Smith wakes the others and they discover that the tracks of the fugitives lead to the door of El Dorado, probably attracted by riches. It is dawn, some men remain at base camp while others are walking into El Dorado. Beyond the door is a long, narrow corridor with barely penetrating light, which is why they also have to turn on the torches. The walls depict scenes from everyday life including mysterious ceremonies and human sacrifices. At the end of the corridor the scene is spectacular, everything seems to be built with gold: streets, monuments, huts and temples of various sizes similar to the pyramids. Smith and Hoare note that the footprints head to the larger pyramid structure which has steps leading up to the top. Smith takes the binoculars and sees that the deserters are running out of the pyramid. Their backpacks seem to be full of riches. Two men start arguing, Hocker tries to calm them down but one of them starts shooting, killing the other and then takes Lola from behind, ordering Hocker to give him his backpack. A moment later, suddenly and slowly, we begin to hear voices and drumbeats that increase more and more in volume. At that point a myriad of natives began to pour into the streets, armed with spears and sticks. Hocker, Lola and the other two men are captured by other natives who come out of the pyramid while Hoare and the others manage to hide before being seen.
At that point the natives begin to celebrate until a tall and gorgeous woman (Lais Ribeiro) comes out of the pyramid entrance. The natives seem to worship her as if she were a goddess. The woman gestures with her fingers and only silence is created. The woman approaches the four prisoners examining them and watching them carefully. One of them tries to escape but is immediately killed, pierced by a spear. Hocker tries to speak but is immediately silenced by the woman who is examining the other prisoner (the one he had appropriated the most wealth and whom he had shot earlier). The woman leads him up the steps and then pushes him down by surprise. The man tumbles down 'ruinously ending the fall in the midst of the population, which pounces on him. A few moments later the woman nods again, bringing the silence back. The woman jumps at Lola not even looking at her and approaches Hocker. She notices the scars on the man's body and immediately calls the guards who begin to tie Hocker to some kind of altar. In the meantime she begins to speak charismatically to the people, at the end of the speech the people rejoice. Meanwhile Hoare and the others are watching the scene curious and frightened. Goldberg whispers to the others that he saw those same scenes on the walls, it was a sacrificial ceremony. Hocker is tied up, the woman approaches with a sharp dagger with a curved blade ripping out his heart, killing him. She then she approaches Lola, desperate and in tears, and dirties her face with that blood. At that point she throws Hocker's heart into the crowd. Meanwhile, Van Meer and Willburne start throwing up after watching those scenes as Hoare gestures for everyone to leave right away. Van Meer turns his head and realizes that three indigenous children are watching them in a disturbing way. A quarter, on the other hand, slowly approaches Van Meer and tries to bite him. The man manages to defend himself but makes noise attracting the attention of all the other natives.
The group escapes by shooting at the natives, shooting down some of them. Louis takes refuge in a hut to escape some natives and retrieves a strange statuette by putting it in his pocket. Meanwhile, while on the run, Van Meer is pierced by a spear in the chest and then devoured by indigenous children. The others manage to escape and arrive at Base Camp to quickly grab their bags as they hear the distant sound of drums slowly disappearing. Meanwhile in El Dorado the queen smiles and enters the pyramid giving orders to take Lola to another structure. The girl screams and despairs.
Hoare and Smith counts the survivors and notices Louis is missing. The survivors were convinced that the man was dead but as they were about to leave to return to De Vueltia and return home, the man came running holding the statuette in his hand. Louis and Hoare examined the statuette, which had rather eerie features. It is a very pure gold idol, depicting a probable unknown pre-Columbian deity, a large humanoid monster with hands and feet ending in claws, while the face, devoid of features, is surmounted by a double horned platform, one of which facing upwards, the other curled like that of a ram. Two large chiropteran wings sprout on the creature's back, wrapping the body of the statuette with their membrane. The group restarts until they arrive at De Vueltia who, once he learns of the events, begins to scold all the survivors saying that he had not been listened to when he tried to say that the place was cursed. The group left on the Santa Linda to return to Belem. During the journey De Vueltia tells Hoare and Smith that there is an ancient legend according to which El Dorado had received wealth thanks to pacts stipulated with bloodthirsty ancestral divinities to which the natives offered unspeakable human sacrifices that were held above the pyramids. He suddenly he noticed the statue and began to pray and said to throw it immediately into the water, it was called "Negro Demon". Obviously the American group does not believe in the words of the Brazilian although Hoare begins to have doubts and tries to talk about it with Louis, who does not listen to him at all. When they arrived in Belem, they took leave of De Vueltia, who, before leaving, took Hoare by the arm and warmly invites him to throw the statuette into the sea so as not to attract bad luck.
Captain McKrane was confused when he finds out that only a few returned from the expedition but Louis says he would only tell him everything when they returned to Portland. Louis says that in any case he would have compensated the families of the people who died on the expedition during the next five years. West Virginia leaves Brazil. Hoare is in his cabin writing in his notebook as a sudden storm outside is fast approaching. Suddenly he feels the agitation coming from other areas of the ship. Hoare puts down the notebook and exits the room and discovers the mysterious disappearance of a sailor from the ship. This fact coupled with the storm on the horizon makes De Vueltia's words resonate in Hoare's mind. West Virginia enters the violent storm, Capt. McKrane orders all guests to return to their staterooms. Shortly thereafter there was another leak, a dead body was found in the engine room, probably fallen from a flight of stairs where he was working. Meanwhile, another corpse of a sailor is found in his cabin. Mckrane realizes there must be a psychopathic killer who was killing everyone one by one. McKrane says that if he found out who he was he would have shot him immediately. Hoare wants to reveal to the captain the narrated legend of De Vueltia but is stopped by Louis. Meanwhile Willburne has a panic attack and locks himself in his cabin despite Smith's attempts to calm him down. The next day the ship is still in the middle of the storm, Captain Mckrane says he has never seen such a long storm and that it was even getting worse by the day. Meanwhile, the deaths continued, more and more violently. At that point Hoare convinces Louis to throw the statuette overboard. Smith is bringing dinner to Willburne when he hears noises coming from that cabin. The man breaks through and finds his friend on the ground with his head smashed and glimpses a big man with black horns escaping from the porthole of the cabin, much smaller than the size of that man. Meanwhile, Louis is also in his cabin and is sitting in a corner with a terrified gaze as he looks at the statuette that has reappeared in his room. Meanwhile the various bodies are being put in the hold because they were starting to smell. As the storm continues, Hoare tries to gather all the survivors who are increasingly terrified all in one place to try and defend themselves together. There are only four survivors, Mckrane, Smith, Hoare and Louis. As McKrane inquires about what happened to El Dorado, a black shadow attacks them, carrying poor Mckrane away into the dark as Smith tries to shoot unsuccessfully as the captain yells. The problem now was also being able to fly the ship during the storm, none of the three survivors had ever piloted a ship up to that point. Louis looks apathetic, he doesn't speak and is there with a grim face. Suddenly everything that sheds light starts to wince until they go out definitively for a few moments. There are convulsive movements around Hoare. The man manages to bring back the light with a lamp and sees Louis's body lying on the ground with his head severed. The creature was there, above him. Smith runs to meet him with a knife but the creature throws him to the ground with inhuman force and hits him with its horns at the base of the neck. I notice the figurine next to Louis's body. The man thinks that Louis made fun of him and managed to trick him by throwing something else into the sea instead of the figurine. Hoare takes it and escapes to the deck of the ship to throw it into the water. Dying Smith tries to cling to the creature, which immediately kills him. While Hoare is throwing the object, the creature attacks him but manages to throw the statue into the ocean. The creature sniffs Hoare growling and then disappears in an instant. Hoare starts laughing hysterically, but soon realizes he has a deep wound in his chest and tries to plug the wound. Meanwhile the storm ends and the sun begins to come out. At that point, Hoare leaves the ship's deck and begins writing in his notebook.
Wallace closes the notebook with tears in his eyes. Meanwhile, outside begins to hear thunderstorms. In the meantime, his wife is upstairs and she is closing the windows and she notices that one of those that she had surely closed was open. It starts raining. Wallace leaves his office and goes to the kitchen to get some water. At that point he hears the voice of his wife calling him in fear followed by a noise similar to a thud. At that point he notices with terror a statuette leaning on the window.
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