In Tom Whitus’ Valley of the Shadow, the Civil War is over, there is a serial killer on the loose, and two families must band together to stop him before more victims are left in his wake.
In 1877 Colorado, a man who calls himself the Reverend (James Edward Holley) travels the frontier not to save souls but to destroy them. He arrives at the Collier farm, and while family patriarch Jason Collier (Nathan Todaro) is out hunting for his family’s supper, the Reverend sits down at the table with Katherine Collier (Cat Skugor) and the children, offering a scripture reading for a simple meal. By the time Jason returns home, his wife and children have been murdered, leaving Jason to mourn and seek revenge.
The Reverend moves on to the Pollard farm, where Rance Pollard (Adam Jones) has been sidelined by disability as a result of a freak accident, leaving his son Vernon (Logan Vance) to run the farm and be the sole breadwinner for his mother and father. Vernon doesn’t hide his resentment and can’t wait to get out from under his father’s iron fist. Following his M.O., the Reverend approaches the family, offering a scripture reading for a meal. Rance and Vernon want nothing to do with him, but Jane feels compassion for the kind Reverend, and that would be their last mistake.
Using his tracking skills, Jason Collier finds his way to the Pollard farm in his search for the Reverend. Inside the barn, he discovers Vernon is barely alive after the Reverend’s attack. Drawing on his experience as a Civil War medic, Jason mends Vernon back to health. After regaining his strength, Jason asks Vernon to help him track down the Reverend, since Vernon is the only one who got a good look at him. Vernon says yes, but deep down, he has a hard time reconciling with the idea of actually killing someone.
“…a man who calls himself the Reverend travels the frontier not to save souls but to destroy them.”
Valley of the Shadow is a fascinating character study, not only of the killer, but also of his victims and those who seek revenge. It asks a very simple question: what would a serial killer look like in the years just after the Civil War? Unlike today, the Reverend is able, for the most part, to commit his crimes in broad daylight. He can also be less sneaky. By taking the persona of a reverend, he can take advantage of the fact that people will innately trust him and use that trust against them.
I also like the fact that this is not your typical Hollywood western, where the action is just ramped up; it’s methodical, menacing, and utterly gripping. The kills are taken at a smooth, leisurely pace. Even in the dialogue, people rarely say what’s on their mind — they talk around it, circling the truth in a very deliberate, roundabout way. It plays on the Western and its take on justice. You can’t just call 911… justice is in your hands.
In the end, Tom Whitus’ Valley of the Shadow is a serial-killer western that Hollywood wouldn’t dare touch, pulled off with the kind of historic authenticity only indie filmmakers can manage — and giving us a killer who literally hides in plain sight.
For screening information, visit the Valley of the Shadow official website.
"…a killer who literally hides in plain sight."
