Darkness Waits

***There’s a killer on the loose near the Appalachian Trail in south-central PA***

This is a sequel to the 2013 indie “Dead Woman’s Hollow,” but it’s also a stand-alone flick, which is why the creators didn’t dub it “Dead Woman’s Hollow 2.” I haven’t seen the first film and have no interest in doing so (based on the trailer), yet it didn’t hinder my appreciation of this one at all.

Charles Dawson played Sheriff Ward Hatsley in the prior movie and returns, albeit ousted from his position and sort of a conspiracy theorist living in a house in the sticks. Waylon K. Smith also returns as Buck, but transfers from deputy to sheriff, albeit on a probationary basis. Most of the cast had only dabbled in acting when this was shot, except for Scott Schiaffo as the smooth-talking mayor. I should add that the director appears in a small role as deputy Fern.

The movie starts off as a typical cabin-in-the-woods type horror flick with a group of five college students venturing into the infamous area, led by Jess (Emily Whitcomb), who’s the only one serious about the student-documentary detailing the slayings in the area with a possible paranormal aspect. The other four are party animal college types with Jenny Jannetty effective as the oversexed girl-next-door Megan.

The first hour is serviceable for this type of fare, but fairly typical. It’s the last act where the film’s brilliance emerges with a well-thought-out script and actors who pull off the material for micro-budget fare. So, please resist any temptation to bail in the first hour. The focus shifts from the “party animals” in the woods to the new sheriff, the loner ex-sheriff, Jess’ fate, the mayor, and peripheral officials. Suddenly the movie becomes an interesting commentary on life in a fudged-up world with quality insights on govt coverups, the liberal media, suspicious conservatives, the undergirding spiritual war, occupational integrity, the idea that “no one is innocent,” and so forth.

In short, the last act delivers for a very worthwhile indie with excellent mind food. This is the opposite of the similar “Wind and Bone,” which was shot in the same general region five years later (across the border to the southwest), but was ruined by weak scriptwriting.

It runs 1h 40m and was shot in Waynesboro in south-central Pennsylvania near the actual Dead Woman’s Hollow area of the Appalachian Trail. It was primarily filmed in June 2017, but the production didn’t wrap until almost two years later before it premiered locally in July 2019, then released to streaming & video-on-demand the following year.

GRADE: B