The Dyatlov Pass Incident
In February of 1959, nine Russian hikers ventured into a remote area of the Ural Mountains. Two weeks later, all of them were found dead. What happened is a mystery that has baffled investigators and researchers for decades. It has become known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident. When five ambitious American college students are issued a grant to return to the site of the original events, they gear up with the belief that they can uncover and document the truth of what happened to the supposedly experienced hikers. But what they find is more shocking than anything they could have imagined. Retracing the steps of the Russians' ill-fated journey, the students are plagued by strange and increasingly terrifying phenomena that suggest that in spite of the desolate surroundings, they are not alone. The forces at work in the Dyatlov Pass Incident have been waiting for them.
The film earned $5.2M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Dyatlov Pass Incident (2013) reveals precise dramatic framework, characteristic of Renny Harlin's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 40 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Five American college students film their documentary project pitch about investigating the 1959 Dyatlov Pass mystery. They are enthusiastic, ambitious, and confident in their academic pursuit.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Russian authorities deny them permits to access the restricted area around Dyatlov Pass. Their official, safe documentary has been shut down before it can begin, forcing them to decide whether to abandon the project or break the law.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to The group makes the active choice to enter the restricted zone illegally, hiking past warning signs into the wilderness. Their guide refuses to go further, abandoning them at the boundary. They are now alone and committed to the dangerous journey., moving from reaction to action.
At 48 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 48% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat They discover a bunker entrance hidden in the mountains - a massive Soviet facility. This false victory (finding answers!) is actually a false defeat (they've stumbled onto something far more dangerous than a historical mystery). The stakes escalate from academic to survival., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 73 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Multiple team members are killed by mutant creatures. Holly witnesses her friends' deaths and discovers the devastating truth: the original Dyatlov hikers were killed escaping this facility, and the Soviet experiments have created a temporal paradox. All hope of escape seems lost., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 79 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Holly discovers a teleportation device and realizes the horrifying truth: she must use it to escape, but doing so will send her back in time. She synthesizes the clues and understands she may be caught in the same loop that killed the original hikers. She chooses to activate it anyway., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Dyatlov Pass Incident's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping The Dyatlov Pass Incident against these established plot points, we can identify how Renny Harlin utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Dyatlov Pass Incident within the thriller genre.
Renny Harlin's Structural Approach
Among the 16 Renny Harlin films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Dyatlov Pass Incident takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Renny Harlin filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional thriller films include Eye for an Eye, Lake Placid and Operation Finale. For more Renny Harlin analyses, see 12 Rounds, Mindhunters and Die Hard 2.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Five American college students film their documentary project pitch about investigating the 1959 Dyatlov Pass mystery. They are enthusiastic, ambitious, and confident in their academic pursuit.
Theme
A professor warns them that some mysteries are left unsolved for a reason, suggesting that seeking dangerous truths can have consequences. The students dismiss this, eager to uncover what really happened.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of the group dynamics: Holly (the leader), Jensen, Denise, JP, and Andy. They research the historical incident, prepare equipment, and travel to Russia. Archive footage and interviews establish the 1959 mystery of nine hikers found dead under bizarre circumstances.
Disruption
Russian authorities deny them permits to access the restricted area around Dyatlov Pass. Their official, safe documentary has been shut down before it can begin, forcing them to decide whether to abandon the project or break the law.
Resistance
The group debates proceeding illegally. They hire a Russian guide who warns them about the dangers and local superstitions. They acquire gear and make final preparations, with growing tension about whether they should continue. The guide shares ominous local legends.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
The group makes the active choice to enter the restricted zone illegally, hiking past warning signs into the wilderness. Their guide refuses to go further, abandoning them at the boundary. They are now alone and committed to the dangerous journey.
Mirror World
The group discovers an abandoned weather station and begins finding their first clues about the original incident. The relationship between Holly and Jensen deepens as they discuss obsession versus truth-seeking, mirroring the thematic tension between curiosity and survival.
Premise
The "fun and games" of amateur detective work: following the original hikers' trail, finding artifacts, documenting evidence, experiencing strange occurrences (unusual radiation readings, mysterious sounds, equipment malfunctions). The promise of uncovering a historical mystery while building dread.
Midpoint
They discover a bunker entrance hidden in the mountains - a massive Soviet facility. This false victory (finding answers!) is actually a false defeat (they've stumbled onto something far more dangerous than a historical mystery). The stakes escalate from academic to survival.
Opposition
The group explores the underground facility and encounters increasingly hostile forces: strange creatures, temporal anomalies, and evidence of horrific experiments. They become separated, hunted. The environment itself becomes antagonistic as they realize they're trapped in a time-loop conspiracy.
Collapse
Multiple team members are killed by mutant creatures. Holly witnesses her friends' deaths and discovers the devastating truth: the original Dyatlov hikers were killed escaping this facility, and the Soviet experiments have created a temporal paradox. All hope of escape seems lost.
Crisis
Holly, alone and traumatized, processes the horror of what they've uncovered. She struggles through the facility's tunnels in despair, confronting that her curiosity led to everyone's death. The dark night of realizing some truths are too terrible to uncover.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Holly discovers a teleportation device and realizes the horrifying truth: she must use it to escape, but doing so will send her back in time. She synthesizes the clues and understands she may be caught in the same loop that killed the original hikers. She chooses to activate it anyway.
Synthesis
Holly activates the device and is transported through time. She emerges in 1959 and encounters the original Dyatlov group. In a devastating finale, she realizes she has become part of the very incident she came to investigate, creating a causal loop. The mystery perpetuates itself.
Transformation
Holly, now trapped in 1959, understands she will die on the mountain just like the original hikers. The final image mirrors the opening: another curious investigator filming the mystery, but now Holly is the victim. The transformation from seeker to cautionary tale is complete.