Region Code: 1
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 95 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Justin P. Lange
Cast: Nadia Alexander, Toby Nichols, Karl Markovics
Here we have a rather intriguing indie film, a dark fairytale of sorts, about two damaged kids who comes together, one the victim of a sexual predator whose inflicted a horrific blinding injury upon the young boy, the other a wild feral girl who seems to have returned from the dead, her face scarred by the actions of another predatory adult. They come together in a wooded under less than ideal circumstances, an area ominously known as the Devil's Den, with the kids striking up a budding friendship while trying to understand one another.
The young girl Mina (Nadia Alexander) is a gray-skinned ghoul of some sort, not quite a zombie, not quite a vampire, but something in between. The skittish boy Alex (Toby Nichols) has been brain-washed by his previous captor, both are victims. Mina proves to be the protector of the pair, she craves human flesh and inflicts her wrath on any adults who come to near, or would do her or her new found friend harm.
As the film plays out it has the air of a fable, a dark children's story, with touches that brought to mind Let The Right One In. But this is no mere clone, a surprising assured indie film that has a lot to say without saying too much, keeping an air of mystery about it throughout.
I like that it doesn't lay all it's cards on the table, though we do get some insight into Mina's tragic origins through flashback. She even lays out her story for her new friend, describing how she's become a local urban legend about a murderous wild child that said to stalk the local woods, but at the heart of the story is the coming together of a pair of damaged kids, and how they manage to save each other, emerging from the darkness of the and into the light.
While I think the title of this film is horrifically generic it's solid indie-horror debut from director Justin P. Lange, a well-made story of dark, kindred spirits finding their way in the horrible world with a great cast and gorgeous autumnal scenery, recommended.
The DVD from Dark Sky Films looks solid for a standard definition presentation, sadly the only extra is a 2-min trailer for the film and a handful of other Dark Sky Films releases, I would have loved a commentary from this up and coming director.
