At about the halfway point of this movie, there is a quick cut to the TV in our protagonist's bedroom, and there's a DVD of The Wicker Man propped against the TV. That's director Roundtree's acknowledgment of his influence, and the influence is strong - a person from mainstream society comes to an isolated community after one of them dies, encounters some very odd characters, and, through persistence, learns that the society is hiding a dark and deadly secret.
Consistent with the folk horror tropes, we get lots of shots of the bleakly beautiful countryside and seaside settings. It's a slow burn that creates unease and builds dread. And it introduces a secretive group that practices ancient, non-Christian rituals.
Those are all positives, but the film stumbles a bit, mostly in its execution. It's a low budget, independent release, so I cut it some slack, but I felt that the editing at times was a bit clunky, and there was too much use of shaky handheld cameras, odd angles, and extreme close-ups that obscured what was happening. The story, as stated above, is not particularly original, and some of the acting was sub-par.
All of that being said, though, this is a promising directorial debut, and an enjoyable contribution to the folk horror sub-genre.
