The title, How Dark They Prey, is perhaps a wonderful metaphor for this odd, little, low-budget film — sounds cool at first look, but then you realize it does not actually make sense. I remain in the dark as to who the “they” is in the title; but, perhaps more importantly, how does one “prey dark”? I don’t know and neither does the film.

This is a portmanteau film, albeit one without a wraparound story or conceit. It opens with an odd found footage sequence, exploring a rural mechanic’s garage and then leaps, without explanation, to four short stories offered without context or explanation. “Encounter Nightly” involves what appears to be an internet show investigating UFO sightings. Two friends (host and cameraman) drive around asking people about their sightings, but the interviews just seem off – mostly dealing with people admitting they haven’t seen a UFO. They go to a woman’s home to interview her about her experience and everything goes off the rails.

“Harrowing” reads like a community theatre tribute to the “Bear Jew” scene from Inglorious Basterds by way of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” “Blood Beach” sees a young man learning how to fish from a stranger he meets on the beach. Something bad may or may not happen.  Then, in a complete tonal shift, “Nelly,” the only segment in black and white, features a woman who has kidnapped a baby and a psychotic cop being captured by mask-wearing, chainsaw-wielding rednecks. This last sequence is the only one played broadly for comedy and the abrupt shift in style, tone, and color is quite jarring. One wonders what the point is.

How Dark They Prey is short – sixty-three minutes of actual film and then ten minutes of very slow credits, which feel like an attempt to puff out the run time. There is something to be celebrated about a group of friends and filmmakers coming together to make the kind of movies they love. This film has that vibe. Sadly, neither the material nor the performances ever rise to the level of elevating this work, nor do they show promise of what could be if they had had a larger budget.

The cinematography is competent, but not supported by the writing. Characters make choices that do not make sense and events never fully realize the potential horror of the scene. Plus, more often than not How Dark They Prey just doesn’t quite make sense. The level of horror required to create fear in an audience is simply never quite achieved.

4 out of 10