Dead Woman’s Hollow (2013)

Making a feature film is an extremely difficult and taxing endeavour. Making a feature film on a shoestring budget is even more difficult. Making a feature film on a shoestring budget with numerous locations, props and costumes and a large number of characters is… well, you get the idea. Libby McDermott, in her feature film directorial debut, pulled off a feature film with considerable level of difficulty and stretched that shoestring budget as far as she needed to achieve her vision.

Dead Woman’s Hollow is the first feature film for indie filmmaking duo Libby McDermott (director, producer) and Matt Stahley (cinematographer, producer, editor). It was made in 2013 and released under their production company, Libmatic Films. Written by John Taylor, Dead Woman’s Hollow is the story of Jen (Mel Heflin) and Donna (Sarah Snyder), two young women out on the Appalachian Trail as part of a college project / camping trip who encounter a mountain man named Leroy (Boodle Montgomery) and let’s just say that their day takes a turn for the worse. A murder investigation by Sheriff Hatsley (Charles Dawson) follows and reveals some interesting and unexpected turns on the way.

The film is inspired by true events which happened in the region, but the characters and much of the details are fictitious. The script, while somewhat dialogue-heavy in the early stages, picks up the suspense nicely from there and all the way to its dark, ambiguous, yet somehow satisfying, ending.

Production value-wise, it is incredible to see just how much McDermott and Stahley managed to achieve with what was, according to some online press, a micro- to low-budget production. I read somewhere that most, if not all, cast and crew worked on this project on volunteer basis. To get this many people to volunteer and help out on a project is a rare skill and near miracle all on its own. Due to this size of a budget, some of the aspects of this film are somewhat inconsistent in certain spots during its 106-minutes runtime. However, the overall feel of the film keeps the viewer interested and by the time we reach the somewhat abrupt ending, we are left feeling like we went on an interesting and largely entertaining ride. Such is the power of good storytelling.

The acting, due to the large number of characters, is at times inconsistent yet inoffensive. The central characters in Dawson‘s Sheriff Hatsley, Snyder‘s Donna, Heflin‘s Jen and Montgomery‘s Leroy all equate themselves rather well. Montgomery, while having very few lines and rarely showing his whole face under that large hat and full, bushy beard, actually did a great job as the creepy Leroy. In fact, at several points in the film we are unsure whether to like (perhaps feel sorry for) or despise him, hence making the character all the more interesting. The supporting cast do their best and actually manage to hold the film together without too many noticeable acting faux pas.

The general feel of the film is also inconsistent at times, going from tense and atmospheric scenes (such as ones in the woods) to slightly weaker comic relief moments which are hit and miss. Overall, though, I was left describing the film as having somewhat of a Fargo meets Deliverance feel, which is definitely a positive.

The cinematography by Stahley is quite beautiful and atmospheric, adding a certain depth to the film. His editing work is also quite skilled, though I would have probably tightened the film somewhat and dropped about 15-minutes off the runtime. However, the length of the film, and some scenes in particular, did not hurt the viewing experience much if at all, so no complaints from me there. Stahley managed to give the film a slow, smokey mountain town feel, using the local scenery and nature to the film’s advantage. Furthermore, in his editing, he shows much patience in key scenes, keeping the camera on the actors while allowing their facial expressions to do the acting and giving lingering silences extra meaning.

The score by Kevin Yost helps to further set the mood perfectly and adds to the suspense with its largely ominous feel.

It should probably be noted that, while definitely belonging in the realm of the horror genre, the film has a slow burn thriller sensibility to it, which might not be for everyone, especially horror fans seeking elaborate kills and free-flowing gore. The film also has a few scenes containing nudity, that while showing much flesh are not there to titillate, but actually have meaning and importance to the plot and the story overall and in certain instances, help give it somewhat of an indie arthouse feel.

McDermott shows great capability as well as potential to grow even more as a filmmaker here, and along with Stahley, show great competence and skill as producers in pulling this off at the level they have. It is a commendable and inspiring effort and I look forward to reviewing their follow-up feature, Darkness Waits, in coming weeks. As for Dead Woman’s Hollow, I highly recommend that new, aspiring filmmakers check it out and take note as to what can be done with very little budget, yet with an abundance of passion and creativity.

A commendable and inspiring effort. 7.5/10.