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Donna Rae Allen

CHILDREN OF THE PINES

(TOPBOX PRODUCTIONS/DAME MEDIA/MIDNIGHT JUSTICE FILMS/FREESTYLE DIGITAL MEDIA (92 minutes; Unrated); 2024)

If a title like CHILDREN OF THE PINES makes you anticipate a horror film about cherubic baddies along the lines of CHILDREN OF THE CORN or CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED, well, that’s understandable. Any cinematic outing that focuses on “Children of, well anywhere or ANYTHING,” is bound to be a less than wholesome look at youngsters that are probably up to no good. But writer/director Joshua Morgan’s nifty little thriller has far more substance than your average horror film, and while it DOES have some horror in it for sure, it’s more properly termed a “dark melodrama” than a straight horror film. And in both its pacing and the deliberate way its script unfolds, this is one cleverly made and genuinely unsettling little film. It kept me very interested, despite my initial low expectations, and that’s saying something.

CHILDREN OF THE PINES (DAVID RAIZOR, DONNA RAE ALLEN) (screenshot)

College girl Riley (Kelly Tappan) has been through some troubling issues with her parents Kathy (Danielle J. Bowman) and John (Richard Cohn-Lee), and is less than enthusiastic about visiting them on a winter break at their home in an unnamed mountain town. In a curious bit of voiceover narration, she tells us “Sadness will only ground you, in ways that happiness can only dream of doing.” Nicely open-ended, that. We quickly learn that the parents have a few secrets, one of which is that they’ve provided employment for Riley’s ex, Gordon (Vas Provatakis). That’s annoying enough for our heroine, who is trying to maintain cordial relations with her former beau. But when it becomes clear that the folks have called upon the services of a cult-like organization that uses, shall we say, “unconventional methods” to facilitate healing for this troubled family, things start to get weird. Especially when some creepy young children are suddenly in the mix, and Riley is supposed to welcome them with “mothering” arms. Where did they come from? And what in the world makes Kathy and John think Riley is gonna be okay with these odd young’uns, one of whom is clearly not quite right in the head? The film’s primary tension comes from how Riley tries to manage each new bit of information thrown at her, and figure out what in hell her parents are up to. And possibly the old beau as well. The film impressively takes its time setting the tableau for this series of events, and while most of us have seen enough disturbing horror films to expect certain lousy things to happen in a story such as this, Joshua Morgan reveals himself to be a thoughtful, psychologically tuned-in kinda filmmaker. Issues of alcoholism, domestic abuse and estrangement are brought up, but nothing is driven to extremes the way you might expect. This is a character drama, one in which you get to observe these folks’ behavior yourself, and try to figure shit out right along with Riley.

CHILDREN OF THE PINES (KELLY TAPPAN) (screenshot)

And let’s talk now about Kelly Tappan’s performance here. Some of the first notes I wrote down while watching this were “terrific acting” and “totally naturalistic scene in the diner,” that being a conversation between Riley and Gordon as they get reacquainted before some of the more disturbing stuff happens. Tappan manages to do something all too rare in movies these days: Convince you that this girl exists and is genuinely like people you might know in her reactions and comments. Without being shrill or over the top, she lets you know she is truly concerned about her family and is trying to figure out what to do. When the moment comes where she has “had enough,” you’re totally with her all the way. It’s a marvelous, nuanced performance by this young actress. Her mom, Bowman’s role, is also impressive although I often wonder WHY a seemingly intelligent, thoughtful woman like this would go along with some clearly deranged behavior from her hubby. But then we KNOW this kinda shit happens today, don’t we?

CHILDREN OF THE PINES (screenshot)

The behavior of the cult that Riley’s parents are being guided by has some serious resonance with stuff we know is going on today, and one of the cult’s reps, the energetically cracked Lorelei (Donna Rae Allen) is believable in a downright icky way. I consider it a small miracle that director Morgan shows so much restraint in this production when he could have cheerfully gone much more over the top. And let it be said that while there IS some shocking violence in the film’s final third, it does NOT go over the top or push the limits. Events stay just on the right side of plausibility, which is disturbing unto itself. And the acting is naturalistic to a fault. The whole cast here impressed me, honestly. And the mountain setting is memorable as well… the film is visually striking, and you absolutely can imagine that all these events are actually happening in this little town. When Riley is walking through a snow-covered pathway, trying not to slip in her little boots, you feel every second of her effort. And you ROOT for her with every step, no doubt about it. That’s testament to Tappan’s anchoring performance, which I won’t soon forget.

I could quibble about the ending, which I wasn’t that wild about, and I sometimes get personally worked up about dysfunctional family dramas, especially when the solutions bad parents seek are clearly bonkers. But there is something genuinely compelling about what writer/director Joshua Morgan has given us here. The degree of realism, the fine acting, and the disciplined script all indicate a filmmaker with loads of promise and the thoughtful nature to look at complex human dilemmas with plenty of empathy and curiosity. CHILDREN OF THE PINES ends up being clearly on the INTELLIGENT side of the horror genre, with a determination to avoid cliches and overused tropes as much as possible. I applaud it for that, and will be interested in whatever Mister Morgan does in the future. Not to mention the charming Ms Tappan.