A tranquil family getaway turns into an unspeakable nightmare in filmmaker Harley Wallen’s indie horror film, Ash and Bone. Stacked with an incredible cast, including Wallen himself as the family patriarch, Ash and Bone blends high-stakes horror tropes with an equally strong visual aesthetic. Anything goes in the horror genre, and Ash and Bone certainly pushes the limits of reality. But Bret Miller’s script and Wallen’s direction give the film its necessary grounding to make this somewhat far-fetched story actually quite frightening.

The Vacation From Hell

Cassie (Angelina Danielle Cama), a rebellious teenager, dreads spending the next few days with her dad, Lucas (Harley Wallen), and new stepmom, Sarah (Kaiti Wallen). In an attempt to stop Cassie from causing more mischief at home, Lucas decides that a family vacation away from the city is the remedy. As they approach their lodging, the reality of their isolation is stunning. For Cassie, however, spending quality time with her parents is low on her priority list, and so she sneaks out to a local dive bar (which, yes, she legally shouldn’t be allowed to enter). While there, she befriends a couple who eventually show her the town’s most infamous haunted house: The McKinley house.

Intrigued by the lore, Cassie and her new friends enter the house. What they find is a torture chamber in the basement. They also stumble upon a camcorder with footage of a girl chained up, bloodied, and abused by her captors. It’s at this moment that they realize they should have never entered the house. However, by this point, it’s too late. Cassie, her family, and her new friends have now become the next targets of these cold-blooded killers.

This Indie Production Brings Big Thrills

Making the most of their presumably tight production budget, Wallen keeps the world of Ash and Bone relatively small. Only a handful of locations are used throughout the film, but these destinations are meticulously art-directed and staged. Adding to the “less is more” approach is the cinematography, which emphasizes the darkness of the criminal underbelly our protagonist accidentally enters. The color grade is moody and mysterious, a perfect compliment to the film’s plot. A special mention also goes out to Angelina Danielle Cama, whose performance as the defiant Cassie is among the film’s best. Her talent is, in a word, undeniable.

Takeaway

If you’re looking for a provocative thriller that doesn’t shy away from gore, Ash and Bone is the film for you. Traditional in genre yet elevated in performance and aesthetic, Ash and Bone is just the right amount of enjoyable and twisted. It’s no surprise that the film is an 8x winner and 16x nominee at a variety of film festivals.