Occurrence at Mills Creek (2020) by Don Swanson

Director: Don Swanson
Year: 2020
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural

Plot:
Following the death of her sister, a young woman is soon driven to the breaking point by a series of ensuing travesties that are said to be a result of a family curse that everyone around her seems to suffer from, forcing her into a race to find out the cause before she is involved in its history.

Review:

This was a pretty enjoyable and creepy effort. Much like the short film it’s based on, this one gets a lot of mileage out of its creepy first half that has a lot to like. The way it manages to get the relationship down with the sisters in the backstory flashbacks showing them together regardless of how tragic or important the event was creates a rather intriguing setup early on here. Giving enough of an impression as to why the death would’ve haunted her as much as it does as well as setting up the later involving her being driven over the edge of her mental state, this character-driven part of the film is quite impressive and eerie which makes for a fun time here.

There are a few problems with the film. The most obvious issue is the dreary and lagging pace that keeps this one feeling incredibly boring for major sections of the running time. Focusing on her series of memories and personal reflections, not only from the death of the dad and the childhood memories as well as her studies in school or hanging out with her friend tend to hold the film down to a crawl as barely anything happens that can remotely be called a genre effort. It’s really trying without much going on as the lack of supernatural activity or scares causes the laid-back tone to stand out a bit more.

The last issue for some in this one is more than likely the passive manner of the ghosts that pop up throughout here. Given that they’re much of a presence only through her deteriorating mental state and serve as companions for her to drive that point home, their lack of menacing appearance or behavior might be seen as a hindrance in that they don’t do anything. They never seem to get involved in any of the few horrific actions presented here and are not part of the actual horror elements that arise since it’s all brought about by human forces, leaving them to be completely harmless as a result. These factors tend to drag this one down slightly.

Overview: ***/5
An effectively eerie and somewhat chilling ghost story that plays things far more laid back and methodical than some would like, this slow-burn approach might not be appealing to some but does still serve as an enjoyable effort. Give this a look if you’re a fan of those old-school genre films or aren’t into the modern fast-paced efforts, while those who feel the opposite to each style should heed caution here.