The feature debut of writer/director Sam Freeman, Don't Look in the Dark is a found footage horror in which a couple head to remote woods for a camping trip before the birth of their child. Convinced they saw a young child, the couple head deeper into the woods, unaware that their phones are recording their actions.
"Don't Look in the Dark was made with one goal: to create a theatrical experience like no other," says Freeman. "Every audience sees something different. Every theater reveals something new. No two viewings feel exactly the same. It is meant to unsettle you, confuse you, draw you in, and then leave you wondering if you missed something, because maybe you did. This is our attempt to redefine what a found footage film can be, and what watching a horror movie in the dark can truly feel like."
Don't Look in the Dark will screen at Rutgers University on January 31st as part of the New Jersey Film Festival.
Check out the trailer and poster below.
The official synopsis reads:
Golan and Maya travel to the Pinelands National Reserve for a quiet camping trip meant to honor Maya’s late father and prepare for the birth of their child. Without their knowledge, their phones begin recording on their own, capturing broken and intermittent audio and video as night falls. When Maya becomes convinced she sees a young child lurking near an overturned tree, her maternal instincts pull the couple deeper into the woods, where perception fractures and escape becomes uncertain. As darkness consumes both the environment and the footage itself, the film forces the audience to question what is being seen, what is being hidden, and whether watching is part of the danger.
