Dealing with personal trauma, no matter how big or small, can be all-consuming for those who are attempting to move past it. Try as we may, there are just some events in our lives that continue to haunt us, no matter how strongly we work to eradicate the lingering effects. In Dark Nature, writer/director Berkley Brady examines how deeply rooted trauma can be for some, and the various ways it can manifest itself to continually harm us.

Joy (Hannah Emily Anderson) is striving to move forward with her life six months after leaving her abusive boyfriend, Derek (Daniel Smith Arnold), but is struggling with PTSD and Agoraphobia. We’re shown a brief scene between the two of them that illustrates the severity of the abuse, both physical and mental. It should be noted that there is a detailed depiction of abuse in this scene, not only from Derek towards Joy, but also involving an animal, therefore, a trigger warning for this particular part of the film.

We then jump back ahead to present time, with Joy begrudgingly agreeing to join her friend, Carmen (Madison Walsh) on an unconventional weekend therapy retreat into the Canadian Rockies. Led by the renowned, but slightly controversial Dr. Dunnley (Kyra Harper), the excursion is meant for trauma victims to immerse themselves in challenging and naturally fearful situations in order to deal with their own inner fears. Joining Joy and Carmen are Tara (Helen Belay) and ex-soldier Shaina (Roseanna Supernault), whose personal demons are never fully explored beyond Shaina’s combat PTSD and Tara’s self harm tendencies. 

Regardless, despite Joy’s trepidation, the frosty current state of her and Carmen’s friendship, and the fact that Dr. Dunnley is notably eccentric and unorthodox, the group head out into the picturesque but isolated Canadian forest. 

Initially, all goes well, and we even get snippets of development between Joy and Carmen, whose friendship has been estranged in part due to Joy’s self-isolation. It’s not long before the telltale red flags so common in Wilderness Horror films begin to appear, though, and as expected, the group largely excuses many of them away. As they trek deeper into the woods, however, it becomes clear they aren’t alone, and another monster, more threatening than their own inner demons, becomes an alarming threat. 

This film toggles between being overtly derivative of other stories with similar settings and plotlines (most notably The Descent), and breaking barriers to address mental illness and past ordeals in an unparalleled way. It’s refreshing, though, to see an all-female cast of characters who are strong on their own, and not just because they’re survivors. 

There is a missed opportunity to delve further into any of the characters’ hardships (other than Joy) beyond the initial references here and there, which would have helped to individualize them and allow the audience to root for them more. This is mainly due to a relatively short runtime, which normally is essential for these types of movies to help keep them from dragging. In this case, it could have benefitted from a few additional scenes to provide more depth to what they were suffering from to help the audience connect more with them. 

The cinematography is exceptional for a movie of its budget, thanks mostly to the natural beauty of their surroundings, which helps to provide plenty of eye-pleasing panoramic shots, as well as tight, claustrophobic instances to ramp up the horror feel. 

Although the incorporation of any actual monster is fairly sparse in comparison to the overall story, the creature design is impressive, and doesn’t rely too heavily on lighting or camera work to do the heavy lifting. Instead, there is obvious dedication that went into the effects for the creature, as well as the sound design. This helps Dark Nature settle nicely into the horror realm, even if it is at times more horror adjacent due to the psychological examination.

On the whole, this is an intelligent, respectful, and intriguing introspective look at how trauma can shape us and change us. Yes, there are obvious tropes and heavy-handed borrowing from previous films with comparable settings, but the superb acting, effects, and writing help make this a memorable watch.