You Will Never Find Me: Small Budget Horror With Big Creeps

Never thought I’d say this, but..uh..this movie somehow makes a stormy night in a trailer with a stranger one of the most tense things I’ve seen in a while.

There have ALWAYS been great lower budget movies, but 2024’s You Will Never Find Me truly stood out as one of my favorites of this year so far. Written and directed by Indianna Bell and Josiah Allen, this movie was the duo's very first full length feature film. Despite having worked on a few shorts and other projects over the years, this was their big debut. It’s not as flashy or gory as many of the other bigger budget horror films that have been released this year, but it makes up for it’s microbudget with a phenomenally written script.

I’m not kidding.

The writing, the acting, and the cinematography are stunning.

It’s so stunning, I’m not going to spoil a single thing about this movie. Ironically, that makes this review really hard to sell without giving away the goods. Don’t worry though, lads and lassies, your boy has you covered.

Let me set the scene.

A man by the name of Patrick lives alone in a small, isolated Aulstrailian trailer park. It’s night, and it’s stormy. The wind echoes outside in a way that more closely resembles screaming than a mere natural occurrence. Patrick sits at the table, drinking a glass of whiskey. As the wind sings it’s dastardly song, the trees and rain dance upon the top of the trailer; it almost sounds as if someone or something is walking up there.

Very creepy.

Then we hear a knock at the front door.

Somehow, an already tense moment has gotten even worse.

What happens next?

Patrick opened the door to find a young woman standing outside in the storm. She’s alone, cold, and barefoot. He reluctantly let her inside. We get a very clear idea right off the bat that this is neither a normal nor particularly trustworthy situation.

It’s pretty clear that something else is going on here.

Who is she?

Where did she come from?

Why is she really there?

These questions, and more, are at the forefront of the narrative for much of the film. However, Patrick isn’t exactly a trustworthy man himself. His responses and reactions to certain questions and concerns created both distrust in him for myself as the viewer and for the mysterious woman that Patrick had allowed into his home.

Altogether, Patrick, the mysterious woman, and even the environment outside felt consistently untrustworthy. The real and very present threat that joins both the woman and Patrick looms ever so closely. Pay attention as you watch, and you may just see.

Then again, probably not.

As the night drags on, the undertones of the film start surfacing, one by one. The subversions and misdirections take us to places that are both unsettling and strangely relatable. The whole thing feels like an awkward conversation in an elevator with a stranger. You can’t run away, you can’t escape, and you can’t even breathe. There’s a reason the directors chose to use the word “claustrophbic” in describing the experience this film gives you. They said that movies like the Ryan Reynolds thriller Burried, Roberet Eggers’s period piece horror The Lighthouse, and the A24 hit directed by Trey Edward Shults It Comes At Night were huge inspirations for the inception of this project.

In other words, single-location, atmospheric, and off-kilter-type films.

If you aren’t interested already, here are a few more targeted reasons why you absolutely need to watch this movie.

Premise.

A man lets a creepy stranger come into his home in the middle of the night after hearing what sounded like something walking on his roof. It’s the middle of nowhere, there’s nowhere to run, and there’s no phone to call the police. It’s just her and Patrick…or is it?

Mood.

If you want to watch a movie that’s fast-paced and full of scares, you might need to watch something else. This is a big mood film. It’s not slow, but it’s intentional with the way it presents itself. It’s subversive, introspective, and brimming with style. Again, it’s not flashy or quickly edited, but it gets under your skin and makes you very paranoid.

Atmosphere.

Good god. The things they do with such a small set are mind-blowing. Instead of letting the small space reduce their capabilities, they used it to enhance the intensity of each scene. The smaller space leads to a greater sense that escape isn’t as easy as running away, and fighting back means nothing more than trapping yourself.

Acting.

The two main actors, Brendan Rock and Jordan Cowan, are phenomenal.

It’s difficult to portray the sinister undertones of deception and genuine suspicion as supposedly innocent victims of circumstance. Both actors deserve all the awards and accolades for delivering such stirring and spellbinding performances.

You will not be disappointed.

All in all..

I expected this film to go one way, and it went in a completely different direction. The direction it took was both shocking and terrifying. As I write this, I know that this film is going to stick with me for a while. Hopefully, I’ll get the privilege of watching this again sometime in the future, perhaps even with a few friends.

Fingers crossed, you can too.

I may have enjoyed it fully, but that's just me.

Shoot me a comment below and let me know what you think.