Gary Hinge’s true story — The connection to Kenny Veach’s disappearance

Gary Hinge

The grizzly ending to Gary Hinge’s amateur hiking career in the thriller film Horror in the High Desert leaves fans with more questions than answers, increasing anticipation for the upcoming sequel. The use of found footage to create the film has convinced some fans that Gary Hinge is a real person. Director Dutch Marich told Dread Central that he wanted viewers to connect with Gary:

“The mockumentary approach lends itself to total realism, which, to me, means leaving some questions unanswered is not only acceptable but bolsters the realism. I didn’t want Gary to simply be dismissed as a macguffin for the movie, but rather a fleshed out character.”

Gary Hinge’s story is similar to Kenny Veach’s disappearance in 2014

Horror in the High Desert’s filmmakers haven’t stated that the film has real-life motivations, but it’s easy to see the similarities between Gary Hinge’s story and Kenny Veach’s disappearance. 

Like Gary, Kenny vanished after his online following convinced him to investigate an unusual phenomenon in Nevada’s desert. Kenny, known online as snakebitmgee, claimed to have found a mysterious cave with an entrance shaped like ‘a perfect capital M.’ Veach continued:

“I always enter every cave I find, but as I began to enter this particular cave, my whole body began to vibrate. The closer I got to the cave entrance, the worse the vibrating became. Suddenly I became very scared and high-tailed it out of there.”

Much to the dismay of fans, Veach didn’t find the mysterious cave during a subsequent excursion. Discontent fans pestered Kenny to return to the desert in search of the ‘M’ cave. Kenny didn’t return from his trip.

Veach had extensive hiking experience, so his fans weren’t concerned for his safety. “I have a very good safety record,” Kenny wrote. In the last video he posted, Kenny stood beside an abandoned mine shaft. On 22nd November 2014, rescuers found his phone near the mine shaft. 

A screenshot from Kenny Veach’s M Cave Hike | snakebitmgee/YouTube

Unfortunately, the phone was the last significant find in the search for Kenny Veach. The manner of his disappearance sparked wild conspiracy theories, including speculation about alien abduction. Some fans theorized that the government was responsible for Veach’s disappearance. 

After a while, an internet user claiming to be Veach’s girlfriend posted a comment claiming Kenny had committed suicide. The comment read:

“I want you to know that I do not think Kenny had an accident. I believe he committed suicide. He battled depression for so many years and would not take medication or see a doctor. He quit his job a little more than a year before he disappeared.”

The user, Sheraton Pilgrim, claimed Veach left behind his phone so authorities couldn’t track him. She further alleged that Kenny’s refusal to carry his video camera on the solo hike signaled his intention not to film anything. 

“I had many wonderful experiences with Kenny and will always remember them and have a place of love in my heart for him and the wonderful things we did together,” she said. 

There are some differences between Gary Hinge and Kenny Veach’s stories, but the similarities stand out more.