Horror has always been a reflection of the world around it, offering commentary on society through narration of extreme situations that speak to some of our deepest fears and anxieties. One of the fears that has increasingly been confronted through horror is homophobia – the subject of The Retreat, a slasher/thriller from writer Alyson Richards and director Pat Mills as part of an effort to make more horror by and for queer people.

The Retreat follows Renee (Tommie-Amber Pirrie) and Val (Sarah Allen), a lesbian couple headed to a wedding planning retreat for a couple of Val’s friends, Scott and Connor. But, when they arrive at the adorable Airbnb cabin secluded in the Canadian wilderness, Scott and Connor are nowhere to be found, the hosts are dead, and they’re being hunted through treacherous woods by camo-attired killers. With no easy exits and no sign of help, it’s a fight for survival as their torment is livestreamed for the viewing pleasure of equally violent homophobes across the internet.

As a bona-fide gay person, this movie brought my worst fears to life. Homophobic violence is not a thing of the past, and very little was held back in bringing that fact to light. While any violence that happens to the movie’s gay characters is implied rather than explicitly shown, the filmmakers expertly appealed to emotion with those implications. Despite a relatively low amount of gore, this is still one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen because of how real it is, and how emotionally raw. Bravo, Richards and Mills. I’ll applaud you once I’m no longer in shock.

Even with the production team’s attempts to make a movie for a queer audience, this movie will not be for everyone. The implied violence and its aftermath is brutal, the killers absolutely bone-chilling. For some, Renee and Val’s journey might be cathartic, and I can respect that. That’s the point. And some of the casting choices are fun if you like trivia: Aaron Ashmore, who plays one of the killers in this movie, previously played the canonically gay Duncan Locke on Netflix’s Locke & Key.

But for some, it’s just terrifying in all the wrong ways. For my fellow Queer Fear junkies who seek escapism, look elsewhere. We’re a long way from Clive Barker’s Nightbreed.

Despite my personal discomfort with The Retreat, I’d like to see more from Richards and Mills in the future. The story is well-crafted and (obviously) effective. The pacing is relentless, and the movie is only as long as it needs to be. The lighting and camerawork weren’t always great, but what isn’t communicated visually is easy enough to figure out. It’s a very straightforward story that doesn’t leave you with too many burning questions you’ll never get answers to. And the music is pretty great.

7 out of 10