Greywood's Plot: Low-Budget Monster-Hunt in the Woods is a Slog - Until It Gets Extreme
By Thom Ernst
Rating: B-minus
It's not immediate, and it's easy to miss, but something is butting against director Josh Stifter's muddled indie-horror Greywood's Plot. I suspect it might be talent.
Working on a silly-string budget frees Stifter from the trappings that lock more significant budget films into the necessity of eye-popping effects and the expectation of A (or even B and C) list actors.
Low-budget films come with a built-in forgiveness when the acting is hit-and-miss (which it is) or the writing tries too hard to be irreverent (which it does). And creatures in these films can be far from convincing. Granted, in the case of Greywood’s Plot, the latter serves the possibility that the creature is a hoax.
Stifter is also the film's star and co-writer (with Daniel Degnan). He plays Dom, a nebbish and unlikely hero, and he is great on camera.
Dom is a basement-dwelling vlogger who endured public humiliation on YouTube following a failed attempt to prove the existence of a mythical beast. Not one to be taken down by a set-back, Dom's efforts recharge when a videotape arrives in his mailbox.
The video claims “proof” that a creature exists, although the evidence provided is grainy and hidden behind trees. Fueled at the opportunity to regain his audience, Dom enlists his friend and frequent collaborator, Miles (Keith Radichel), to follow up on this mysterious lead.
The film's black & white cinematography serves the film well, and Stifter does not skimp on gaining all necessary cover shots. Technically, the filmmaking is spot on: The images, particularly the opening sequence, are well framed and effectively capture a rural setting that is as innocuous as it is foreboding.
Where the film falters is in some of the performances—characters who exist merely to add colour and texture to the film. And the film takes its time on a meandering trek through Blair Witch territory as Dom and Miles stumble along forest paths and desolate fields until it hardly seems to matter if the creature shows up or not.
And then comes the unexpected.
Damn. I was not ready for it!
Greywood’s Plot’s shift in tone turns the film from the mundane to the extreme. Now, what appeared to be meandering filler looks purposeful, and almost cruel in the way it catches the viewer off guard. How? You won’t hear it from me because why should be the only one to endure such shock and awe?
Failing to watch the film to the end is to miss the talent buried (with intent) within the movie's first two acts. And that would be a shame.
Greywood's Plot. Directed by Josh Stifter. Stars Josh Stifter, Keith Radichel, and Daniel Degnan. Greywood's Plot is available to stream on most platforms beginning September 9.