The Path

The Path brings to the screen director-writer Tom Archdeacon’s vision of small-town horror when a young woman returns to her childhood home to discover peculiar circumstances surrounding her parent’s death. Abigail White (Tess Hanna) has inherited the farm, unaware of its dark legacy. Her sister, Caitlin (Taylor Colwell), loves the old place, and when Abby tells her they may sell and move, she is furious. While the two sisters are sorting out the estate, there are strange things afoot in the town. A local teacher named Tim (Brian McManamon) seems to have an unhealthy obsession with both Caitlin and her older sister. His slimy approach to each of them is cringe-inducing. Elsewhere, there are satanists practicing rituals out in the woods (as they do), and maybe performing human sacrifices. As the paranormal activities ramp up, a deathly pale-robed figure appears in random places in the farmhouse to provide jump scares.

When the White sisters call the police to report the intruder (who may or may not be a spectral manifestation), a concerned Sheriff Smith (played by Archdeacon himself) comes out with young deputy Dillion (Andrew Block). The officers agree to stay and watch the house, but Smith gets called away, leaving Dillon to stand watch. Instead, he crashes on the couch until Caitlin decides he should have sex with her. He leaves his radio unattended so he does not hear the call when Smith checks in with him. One must respect the decision, however, despite the consequences.

Down at the diner, all the townie old-timers have a ghost story or two. Everyone here is a believer. A hip clergyman, Father Taylor (Tuffy Questell), offers spiritual guidance and solace. The film’s atmospheric tapestry is woven around all these elements as it grinds toward a resolution. Some of the secrets are kept even in the end.

“…Abigail has inherited the farm, unaware of its dark legacy…”

Horror films get a pass for favoring atmosphere over script coherence, and The Path is no exception. Not everything here is explained. Dark cinematography and music create the tension, and the actors’ authentic performances take the viewer the rest of the way down a chilling, scary hole. While all the performances are solid, Archdeacon particularly delivers the Sheriff’s character with skill and genuineness.

The film has some odd points. For stylistic reasons, the title has lowercase “p” in The Path: “The pAth.” It’s interesting, but also it’s unclear why this choice was made. The characters never seek help, which is odd. During all the attacks by maybe ghosts, I kept wondering who they were gonna call… but they never did. Ray Stanz would surely have been able to shed some light on the situation. There are also amusements in the dialogue. One townie comments that the city folk come out to the woods to do their satanic rituals. This implies that “city folk” are all Satanists. If so, wouldn’t there be a satanic church on every corner, with plenty of urban space for rituals? There’s no need to come to Hicksville unless one just wants fresh air for dark deeds. Of course, even Lovecraft was terrified of rural people, so there’s good precedent for the setting. As the denouement wraps up, there are other head-scratching reveals that will give you some thoughts to noodle on after you’ve finished the film.

The film delivers without falling back to the paranormal (maybe?) and without a ton of gore. An audience looking for a good, dark, creepy time can dig in and be enveloped by the mystery and frightful mood of The Path.