Directed by Scott Cooper
Starring Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Rory Cochrane, Amy Madigan, Sawyer Jones

Keri Russell plays a schoolteacher who has recently moved back to her small hometown in Oregon to live with her brother. We’re not given a lot of details, but we know that she left home at an early age because some issues with her father and the abuse she had taken, which she is still dealing with. One day in school, she notices a young boy in her class, Lucas, that seems to be very withdrawn, and because of her past, she recognizes the signs of some sort of abuse. But when she tries to help him, he refuses any and wants to just be left alone.

Earlier in the film, his father is at an abandoned coalmine where his has a meth lab, with Lucas’ younger brother Aiden along with him. But they come across something else in the mine, something terrifying. Next thing we know, they are locked up in the house, behind a door with several bolts holding it shut, with strange noises coming from within.

Without going into the story because of giving away any spoilers, I found this film to be really haunting. Not in the ghost-in-the-house sort of way, but one where you just feel the pain and suffering from some of these characters. Russell is still dealing with the memories of her abuse from decades before, to the point of seeing a bottle of alcohol looks like an easy escape but has to fight it. But the young Lucas, plays amazing by the young Jeremy T. Thomas, really draws in the viewer as we slowly learn what he is having to deal with on a daily basis at home. The look of innocence in his sad eyes is enough to break your heart. Which is exactly why his teacher feels she must help him.

Her brother is the local sheriff who is well aware of Lucas’ father’s reputation but without sending the kids into foster case, his hands are tied. In fact, that is a strong theme throughout the story, of knowing what has to be done, but because of different reasons, it is easy said than done. People don’t want to admit to any issues, ignoring them while they hope they go away. Sadly, that is done too often in the real world, and this film gives a great example of that inner battle that some go through.

After finding a body in the woods that looks like it was half eaten, the now-retired sheriff, played by Graham Greene, seems to know immediately what they are up against, but keeps quiet, especially after they find a bunch of Indian medicine bags hanging all over the entrance of the mine. So once again we get that idea of knowing something but too afraid to meet it head on for a variety of reasons.

The performances here all around really make this film shine. There are more than a few child actors who all pull their weight in bringing these characters to life. You really feel like you’re stuck in this small mountain town. Russell does an amazing job of someone with such a dark past but is determined to not let something bad happen to someone else. Scott Haze plays the meth-head father of the two boys and while he’s not in a lot of the film, or at least that could recognize, I give him a ton of credit of what he had to go through for his role. Very effective and memorable.

Composer Javier Navarrete creates a perfect score to go along with the story. Very slow and moody, surrounded by quiet piano notes, but with some heavy strings bringing in the darkness. Truly haunting.

Directed by Scott Cooper, with this being his first (and hopefully not last) step into the horror genre. His debut feature was Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal, who were both nominated for Oscars for their performance, with Bridges winning. Cooper would later go on to work with actors like Johnny Depp, Woody Harrelson, and Christian Bale, just to name a few. He does an exceptional job in creating a darkness that looms over this little town and the people that live there. Really enjoyed this one. Oh . . . did I forget to mention it was produced by Guillermo del Toro?