A group of college students get more than they bargained for when they decide to camp out in the forest nearby a legendary haunted house. Moreover, back in 1997 eager young lass Lina (delightfully played with spunky charm to spare by Julia Gomez) video tapes herself in her new home that she eventually discovers has something very wrong with it.
Director Henrique Couto and screenwriter Ira Gansler, who also has a colorful supporting role as a hostile redneck, do an excellent job of juggling the two absorbing intersecting story lines for maximum creepy impact: A strong and unsettling feeling of gradually mounting dread and doom builds to a harrowing crescendo in both plots, with the climatic fate of Lina in particular packing a harrowing punch. In addition, Couto makes fine use of the isolated sylvan setting and a dingy rundown abode. The total absence of a score stands out as an inspired touch; in place of said music there's a remarkably effective emphasis on natural (and unnatural) sounds which in turn adds a heightened sense of credible everyday reality to the proceedings. The sound acting by the able cast keeps this movie humming: Joni Durian as the frightened Sarah Benning, Alia Gabrielle Eckhardt as flaky New Age earth mother Lisa Sheets, Josh Miller as the earnest George Wells, Allison Egan as George's brash sister Elizabeth, and Michael William Ralston as easygoing cameraman Simon Tressler. A solid scarefest.
Director Henrique Couto and screenwriter Ira Gansler, who also has a colorful supporting role as a hostile redneck, do an excellent job of juggling the two absorbing intersecting story lines for maximum creepy impact: A strong and unsettling feeling of gradually mounting dread and doom builds to a harrowing crescendo in both plots, with the climatic fate of Lina in particular packing a harrowing punch. In addition, Couto makes fine use of the isolated sylvan setting and a dingy rundown abode. The total absence of a score stands out as an inspired touch; in place of said music there's a remarkably effective emphasis on natural (and unnatural) sounds which in turn adds a heightened sense of credible everyday reality to the proceedings. The sound acting by the able cast keeps this movie humming: Joni Durian as the frightened Sarah Benning, Alia Gabrielle Eckhardt as flaky New Age earth mother Lisa Sheets, Josh Miller as the earnest George Wells, Allison Egan as George's brash sister Elizabeth, and Michael William Ralston as easygoing cameraman Simon Tressler. A solid scarefest.