The Pyramid The Pyramid is an American supernatural
horror film based on found footage and released in the year 2014. The plot of the film follows a
father-daughter archaeologist duo, Miles and. Nora Holden discovers a unique three-sided pyramid that
has been buried beneath the Egyptian desert for 5,000 years. Upon entering the pyramid, things
take a surprising turn for them when they become trapped within the pyramid's complicated structure
and encounter bloodthirsty predators inside. Set in Cairo, Egypt in August 2013, the film
opens with a prologue explaining that a team of American archaeologists discovered a new
pyramid buried deep beneath the desert. Despite the chaos caused by the Egyptians, a documentary
film crew arrived in Egypt to film one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in
Egyptian history. The following details the events that occurred at the site based on a true story.
The film starts with a newswoman, Sunni showing a pyramid hidden within a sprawling desert that
is 250 miles south of Cairo. She divulges that the public will soon lay their eyes
on the archaeologist, Dr. Mile Holden’s groundbreaking research. Sunni is certain
that Miles and his daughter, Nora could rewrite history as they have discovered a three-sided
pyramid instead of the usual Giza pyramids that are four-sided. As Sunni goes on with
explaining the uniqueness of this architectural feat, she is interrupted by the barking of dogs.
Later, she interviews Dr. Miles Holden and asks him to explain what he is exactly looking for
in the pyramid. Miles elucidates that there are certain ancient texts which refer to the
geographic area as the possible site of the lost pyramid of Akhenaten which may be related to the
particular and unusual three-sided architecture of the pyramid. After Miles’s interview,
his daughter, Nora Holden explains on camera that the three-sided pyramid is not the pyramid of King
Akhenaten but instead the structure that they are dealing with is buried below the surface.
She explains that it takes millennia for sand to build up that high which means that the pyramid’s
structure predates the reign of Akhenaten by generations. When Sunni enquires Nora about
why archeologists are against the satellites, she elucidates that most archaeologists are
trapped in a time when it comes to reworking methodologies and assimilating new evidence
into existing historical frameworks. Moreover, she adds that proving an older genealogy for
Egyptian history means throwing their life-long research into question which
is why archaeologists are against satellites. The scene cuts to a satellite in which Miles and
Nora show Sunni a scan that proves that most of the three-sided pyramid is buried deep beneath the
desert. They have figured out a tunnel to make their way into the pyramid that leads directly
to the tip of the pyramid. Because pyramids don’t usually have apexes or tips, Miles’s team
is curious to find out more about this unusual pyramid. Nora explains that she was inspired to
break ground using satellite technology after she read an article on “Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence” out of New Mexico when they discovered traces of water on Mars through it.
When Sunni questions Nora about her thoughts regarding aliens coming to Earth through pyramids,
Nora laughs it out as she does not believe in such a theory. Miles asks Nora and Sunni
to stop talking about satellites as it is not such a big deal and focus on archeology. But
Sunni tells him that the whole satellite angle is what interested the network as it is the dawn
of a new age in archeology, using the future to understand the past. Miles is pissed as
he feels that the raw sensation of archeology is lost with all the technological mediation.
The scene cuts to the pyramid location where Nora is assuring her mother on a phone call
that she will be fine on the mission to unravel the secret of the buried pyramid. Just then,
she is exasperated to see a remote-controlled rover vehicle called “Shorty” built by her
boyfriend and team member, Michael Zahir who is a robotics engineer. Shorty is a one-foot-tall
metallic rover with six wheels that work on a suspension system that was originally designed
by NASA for their Mars rovers. It is set to send back real-time footage to the command
center after it is sent inside the pyramid. The next day, the Egyptians who were asked to
break through the tunnel inform Miles that they have found their way inside the pyramid. Miles’s
team races to the tunnel along with Sunni and her news reporting team. Upon giving the final hit,
an explosion occurs emitting aspergillus in the smoke which is fungi usually found in
caves and tombs. A member starts having a panic attack after inhaling the toxic
air and is immediately taken for medical treatment. Shortly after the explosion,
Miles is informed that the ministry of antiquities has ordered all research teams in the area to pull
out and clear the area within 24 hours. It is because of the mayhem and wide-scale violence
caused by the protests in Cairo as they are against the foreigners invading their pyramids.
Miles gives in and decides to evacuate the desert by the next morning but Nora convinces him to
at least send in Shorty to see what’s actually going on in the pyramid. The Egyptian captain,
Shadid warns the team to get on the plane as soon as possible and Zahir who is the only
man on the team who understands Arabic ensures him that they will be leaving soon. Finally,
Shorty is sent inside the pyramid to map the interior. Zahir controls the three-million dollars
remote-controlled vehicle which is equipped with multiple types of meters and upon entering the
pyramid, it shows minimal traces of toxic fumes. The walls inside the pyramid show the symbol
of Osiris, the God of the afterlife and also considered by the Egyptians as the first pharaoh.
Suddenly the rover is attacked by something and the team is startled by it. Zahir suspects that it
must be a dog that got inside through the opening. He drives the rover further inside but all of a
sudden, the rover goes offline and Zahir loses all the external control. Despite Miles’s reluctance,
Zahir insists on going inside the pyramid to recover the million dollar rover as it has been
loaned by NASA. Miles relents but declares that only he and Zahir will enter the pyramid. However,
Nora and Sunni do not agree to it and convince Miles to take them inside. They remind Miles that
they are all a team and should work together. Seeing Miles’s team preparing to enter the
pyramid, the Egyptian soldier, Shadid loses his cool and starts shouting at them. Zahir
explains to him the situation, asking him to let them retrieve their expensive rover. At last,
Shadid agrees to let them in and gives them a two-hour ultimatum to retrieve their rover and
get going. Finally, Miles, Nora, Zahir, Sunni, and her cameraman, Fitzie enter the pyramid. Nora
takes her own camera as well to record her diary. Upon entering, Miles keeps warning the team not
to touch anything as the ancient structure is unstable and can collapse at any time.
Further inside the pyramid, Zahir is worried to discover the broken piece of rover and
fears that NASA will be pissed at him. Nora then finds a hole going up the pyramid
and jumps inside only to discover that it is a tomb. The entire team enters it and analyzes the
structures there. Nora finds a metallic structure with dried blood and decides to take it along as a
sample. Nora notices that Miles’s wire is snapped and the team decides to exit the tunnel and get
a new wire. However, they soon become lost and enter a room where Zahir finds Shorty. However,
the room’s unstable floor collapses beneath the five of them and they fall 90 feet below ground
into a weird space with a shitty smell. All of a sudden, a gigantic piece of debris falls
on Zahir and his leg gets crushed beneath it. The rest of the team fails to move the debris
from Zahir’s leg and Zahir can’t stop screaming out of pain. Sunni discovers a shaft and decides
to climb it to exit the pyramid and seek help for Zahir. As she attempts to climb back up,
she is attacked and scratched on the face by an insidious creature and forced to retreat.
Miles discovers a door and reads the carvings on it only to find out that it is a warning
sign asking not to enter. He suggests waiting in the tomb until the soldier comes looking for
them. But Nora refuses to wait as Zahir won’t have much time and decides to look for another way out.
The team opens the door and before leaving Zahir alone, Nora gives him a torch, kisses him,
and promises to return back to save him. As the team leaves to look for a way out and seek help
from the Egyptian soldier, they hear Zahir’s screams. Miles and Nora run to help Zahir,
leaving Sunni and Fitz only to find his severed leg left pinned under the rock. Nora is devastated
to see the blood trail marks that explain that Zahir’s body was dragged into the shaft and
devoured by some bloodthirsty predator. Miles consoles Nora and encourages her to join others
and find a way out of the pyramid to save their lives. Upon meeting Sunni, Miles lies to her that
Zahir died trying to move the debris but Sunni realizes that he is lying to her and becomes
furious. She starts blaming Miles for leading her into a death trap so Fitzie calms her down.
Hopelessly lost within the pyramid's labyrinthine structure, the team is chased through a tunnel by
deadly perils. They move faster and are finally rescued by the Egyptian soldier, Shadid. Although
Shadid shoots most of the small creatures with his gun, he is attacked and devoured by a larger
creature. The group is dead scared and converges at a corner. Fitzie notices that Sunni’s face
scratch is getting infected and her eyes also don’t look too good. Soon, Miles comes across
a carved mural that depicts passages from the Book of the Dead and its guide to immortality. He
explains to the group that the panel depicts the final judgment, the weighing of souls which means
that when a person died, he/she was brought before Osiris and a panel of judges. The god Anubis
weighed their hearts next to a massive scale, Maat, the goddess of truth and if it balanced
perfectly, they passed into the afterlife. Moments later, the group enters another
tunnel that starts filling with sand. Fearful that they will be buried inside the sand trap,
the group starts running but Sunni falls into a pit that is covered with spikes, piercing Sunni.
Fitzie tries to rescue her but before he could do so, she is attacked by the deadly creatures. After
Miles and Nora get out of the tunnel, they try to help Sunni but she surrenders to her injuries,
forcing the team to retreat. Nora notices that Miles has been attacked by the creature and his
neck has started to get worse. However, the remaining group does not give up and
continues finding their way out of the pyramid. Fitzie finds the broken Shorty and decides to
rewire it with his camera and send a recorded message outside. Miles records the video message
explaining that he along with his daughter and a cameraman are trapped in the excavation site
and need help. He sends out a warning that the pyramid is crawling with deadly creatures
so anyone who decides to come to the rescue must bring guns with them. After recording the message,
Miles unearths a secret chamber. The group goes deep into the chamber only to find the
corpse of a 19th Century explorer along with his journal specifying that the burial chamber can
be a possible escape route from the pyramid. All of a sudden, a clawed hand stabs through
Miles’s chest, tearing out his heart. Nora screams for her father and laments to help
him but Fitzie pulls her away and tries to run away. However, the burial chamber closes on them,
trapping them inside. Having no other choice, Fitzie decides to go back and face the deadly
creature despite Nora’s reluctance. Using his camera, he discovers that Miles is still alive
and tied to a large scale. He sees the large creature weighing Miles’s heart to determine
his worthiness to enter the afterlife. Miles then dies when the creature eats his heart.
After the creature leaves the chamber, Fitzie shows its footage to Nora who identifies it as
the Egyptian god Anubis, who is half man, half jackal that eats the hearts of those he found
to be impure. Fitzie then finds the dead soldier and takes the gun from him. Meanwhile, Nora grabs
the flare from Miles’s corpse. She then comes across hieroglyphs in the chamber that show the
pyramid was built to trap Anubis, who is wanting to reunite with his father, Osiris to enter the
final gate of heaven. Fitzie keeps asking Nora to stop talking about history and look for a way out.
Nora figures out that they can get out through the star shaft. After looking around the room,
they find an exit shaft with a ladder left behind by Shadid. Fitzie is ecstatic to
find it and climbs the ladder after Nora. While the duo is climbing, Anubis returns
to pursue them. Although Fitzie shoots Anubis with the gun, he is killed. Nora falls back and
is caught by Anubis. However, she uses the flare on Anubis to get rid of him. Thinking that she
got rid of Anubis, Nora climbs the ladder but is once again captured by him and taken back
into the burial chamber. While Nora is tied to a pillar and haunted by Anubis, she uses a blade
hidden in her hand to cut through the ropes. After getting free, she uses the blade to slit
Anubis’s neck. Suffering from the wound, Anubis is then attacked by a group of the peril cats.
While Anubis is being attacked, Nora grabs the opportunity to climb the shaft to make her way
out. However, she falls unconscious just before clearing the pyramid's exit. Moments later,
she wakes up only to find a young boy holding her camera. Suffering from the
scratches and infection, Nora pleads with the boy to help her but before that could happen,
Anubis appears from behind. The film ends with Anubis attacking them and the screen going blank.
This movie has a rating of 4.6 on IMDb. The budget of this movie was around $6.5 million and at the
box office, it earned $16.9 million. I hope you all liked this video. If yes, then make sure to
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