December 6, 2024 – I missed this one when it was released. I usually avoid horror films because they are usually made on the cheap by inexperienced directors and actors, but this one is one bloody good.

The movie is set at a creepy resort in the mountains of Germany, where 17-year-old Gretchen (played by Hunter Schafer of “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”) is having big regrets about joining her father, Luis (played by Marton Csokas of “The Equalizer”) stepmother, Beth (Jessica Henwick of “The Royal Hotel”) and half sister, Alma (Mila Lieu) on this trip.

When the creepy owner of the resort, Herr König (Dan Stevens of “Beauty and the Beast”) offers Gretchen a job at the resort, she jumps at the chance, hoping to earn enough money for a flight back to the U.S. Strange things happen at the resort. Women become ill and vomit all over the place, strange noises in the night seem to hypnotize people, causing some to pass out.

One young girl is affected differently by the strange, throbbing noises. She runs away into the forest like a wild animal. Others hear the sound and seem to hallucinate, as if they are repeating the same actions over and over again. One night, Gretchen is overcome by feelings of dread at the resort and decides to quickly go back to her room on her bicycle. She is chased by a very scary looking woman on her way home. The police, hearing the story, tell her it is just a prank.

Gretchen meets a woman, Ed (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey of “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”) who invites her to go away with her. Gretchen empties the register and heads out, but that doesn't work out. At the same time, Gretchen meets a mysterious police detective, Henry (Jan Bluthardt of “Luz”) who offers to help her. Henry does, indeed, help Gretchen explore the mysteries of the creepy resort and the scary women in the woods, but he, like everyone else at the resort, is not who he seems to be.

The mysteries at the resort keep unfolding into a vast conspiracy involving some people who are not really human beings, exactly. It all keeps getting weirder and more surrealistic until Gretchen finally begins to understand the full horror of what is going on. It is like the old saying – sometimes even paranoid people have real enemies.

Hunter Schafer gives an excellent performance here as Gretchen, a desperate, but tough woman armed with a butterfly (or Balisong) knife. Dan Stevens is suitably menacing as the evil Herr König, the man with a deadly hidden agenda, mysteriously exerting control over a group of people. Jan Bluthardt gives a convincing performance as Henry, who seems normal enough at first, but he changes later, and not for the better. Writer and director Tilman Singer (“Luz”) does a fine job of maintaining the creepy vibe of this film, and he also allows the story to unfold in an effective way. He doesn't telegraph his punches, maintaining some surprises right up to the end. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff (no extra charges apply). I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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