As the year begins to pick up and more horror releases coming down the pipe – Immaculate and The First Omen are around the corner –Shudder drops Aussie indie horror You’ll Never Find Me. It’s a single-setting horror movie that marks the first feature-length movie from directors Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell. Though its premise is simple, the Aussie horror movie taps into the same ideas Edgar Allan Poe weaved in the Tell-Tale Heart. There hasn’t been much in the way of promotion, but critics have been impressed with the low-vibe chills.
Synopsis
The story begins like so many other classic horror tales: It was a dark and stormy night. Patrick, a lonely and evidently troubled man, sits in his mobile home in a remote trailer park. As the thunderstorm increases in intensity, he hears a loud pounding: some unknown visitor is knocking on the door at 2 a.m. The story begins like so many other classic horror tales: It was a dark and stormy night. Patrick, a lonely and evidently troubled man, sits in his mobile home in a remote trailer park. As the thunderstorm increases in intensity, he hears a loud pounding: some unknown visitor is knocking on the door at 2 a.m.
You’ll Never Find Me Wrings a Maximum Amount of Tension Out of its Single Setting
From its outset, You’ll Never Find Me is clearly operating with a limited budget. No, this isn’t to say the movie looks cheap – quite the opposite, everything about this thriller looks sharp. Rather the single-setting, two-person cast, and approach to the story reflect the story’s simplicity. But the opening shot of the movie – a blurred woman tapping on a rain-streaked car window – sets the tone for everything that follows. And tone or atmosphere play a significant role in what makes this thriller work. Co-directors Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell – working on their first feature-length movie – establish a tense tone that keeps you on edge for the majority of the hour and 36 minutes of running time.
But the opening shot of the movie – a blurred woman tapping on a rain-streaked car window – sets the tone for everything that follows.
Much of this atmosphere comes from what feels like a traditional horror set-up. This is “it was a dark and stormy night” backdrop straight out of a Gothic horror novel. But it works in part because You’ll Never Find Me rarely ventures outside of its claustrophobic trailer. Instead, Allen and Bell contain the story in its dark and occasionally neon-red drenched setting. It’s the sound of pounding rain and wind gales that gets under your skin for the thriller’s first act. Specifically, Allen and Bell aptly use their stormy backdrop to enhance the story and mystery. There’s a handful of effective jumps but You’ll Never Find Me is a restrained effort by and large.
You’ll Never Find Me Finds Ways to Twist on a Recognizable Mystery
Yet much of the strength of You’ll Never Find Me comes from Bell’s screenplay. Simply put, this thriller doesn’t work if it can’t keep you hooked into reaching the end of the mystery. And even the most novice of viewers will know something isn’t right with either the isolated Patrick or The Visitor. Both characters are obviously keeping secrets – that’s the driving force of the movie. Audiences will suspect something isn’t quite right with either character’s story almost immediately. Both Patrick and The Visitor misstep from their original narratives. Where You’ll Never Find Me works so well is the ways in which Allen and Bell drop just enough bread crumbs along the way to allow you to piece things together as the final act plays out.
Where You’ll Never Find Me works so well is the ways in which Allen and Bell drop just enough bread crumbs along the way to allow you to piece things together as the final act plays out.
And You’ll Never Find Me works – the pieces fit by the closing shot even if it’s not as highbrow as something like The Sixth Sense. By its final scene, the Aussie mystery-thriller takes a big swerve into surreal horror without tipping too far over the edge. The result feels somewhat expect, but no less effective in its unsettling finale. Allen and Bell again show restrain in their use of horror imagery – while it’s unsettling, You’ll Never Find Me never strays into abject gore. Alongside its effective atmosphere and narrative, both performances are strong and lend credibility to the thriller’s twist. Brendan Rock, playing the reclusive Patrick, gives the character a necessary elusive nature without tipping his hand. As the visitor, Jordan Cowan does an exceptionally good job at towing the line between unassuming and potentially dangerous.
You’ll Never Find Me an Early Hidden Gem in 2024
A single setting, two actors, and a lot of atmosphere work wonders for You’ll Never Find Me. What makes the results even more impressive is that this Aussie horror is the first full-length effort from Allen and Bell. There’s a lot of confidence on display here, and Bell also deserves credit for a clever screenplay. Just about everything clicks here with an almost constant level of tension and effective scares. Even if the movie lands where you expect it, the craftsmanship behind the journey is supremely effective. Effective performances from the two leads amplify what is a subtly scary movie making You’ll Never Find Me a hidden gem worth seeking out.