Certain horror tropes can stand the test of time. The crazed, psychotic killer. The cabin in the woods. A character isolated from safety and security. A dark and stormy night. No matter how many times they’re utilized in film, audiences will clamor to consume the latest iteration.
Scottish filmmaker Nathan Shepka’s Death Among the Pines, employs all of the above, but the execution only halfway sticks the landing.
Angela (Nicolette McKeown) is alone in her remote cabin during (you guessed it) a torrential rainstorm, while her husband, Eddie (Olly Bassi) is away working late into the night. The conditions are ripe with possibility for a horror scenario to play out…and that’s exactly what transpires. She receives a knock at her door and finds stranded motorist Kevin (played by writer/director Shepka), who claims that his car has broken down, and he’s simply seeking shelter from the unrelenting storm.
Sure, she’s completely by herself, and has only just met this individual, but what could possibly go wrong? After a bewilderingly brief hesitation, she invites him to come in. Once Kevin steps inside, it’s evident that Angela lives a very simple life. There’s no television – only an antique looking radio (which gives reports of the severity of the storm). When he inquires about her living situation, she gives vague responses about how her husband is working late, and they don’t like modern technology.
While the two make small talk, there’s inexplicably another knock at the door – this time in the form of a police officer. He warns Angela that he’s in search of an escaped convict who authorities believe might be in the area. Thus begins a twisted, slow unraveling of the rest of the story, which reveals (over an achingly drawn out amount of time), to show that not everyone is who they seem to be.
While Death Among the Pines starts out feeling formulaic, it does redeem itself with a few well placed red herrings and misdirections to make it feel fresh and unique. The problem, however, comes from the overuse of the slow burn format, which after a time begins to feel tiring.
Ultimately, this is harmful to the overall feel of the story. Much of the relatively short run time is wasted on bloated, stagnant dialogue between Angela and Kevin. McKeown and Shepka as actors aren’t the problem here – in fact, their delivery helps carry the film to make it watchable. The production value and set design are also well done. It’s more that the writing and editing bog the film down, dragging it into the murky depths of tediousness, as we watch these two strangers get to know one another.
Though the concept has been seen time and again, the overall feel finds a way to set itself apart to be intriguing. It’s simply that it takes far too long to get to the point, and by the time the movie does, it’s lost the attention of most viewers.
Shepka has a solid format here, and as an actor, he delivers on the mysterious, charismatic outlander archetype, and his chemistry with McKeown is tangible – but is this supposed to be a thriller, or a romance? That’s the biggest question left dangling once the credits begin to roll.
