There are a lot of horror films that take place in the forest such as Cabin in the Woods, The Blair Witch Project, Wrong Turn, and countless others due to the landscape being a proper setting for a good scare. Today, another film is added to that list with the release of The Long Dark Trail.
The Long Dark Trail is touted by Cleopatra Entertainment as a mash-up of Midsommar and Stand By Me - two very different movies that make for an interesting combination. "They escaped from a nightmare, just to enter into Hell," states the poster below, and there are plenty of moments in the brand new film that confirm the comparison.
We got the chance to speak with the writing and directing duo of Kevin Ignatius and Nick Psinakis to get the details on today's release for those who check it out and want some more information on how it came to be or people who wish to get a better scope of the flick before watching it.
Below we have included the full video interview with the writers and directors as well as a small tease of quotes so readers can know what to expect from the fully immersive interview experience.
Kevin Ignatius: I had the spark for this movie living in my hometown here in Warren County in Pennsylvania. I sent Nick photos of the landscape here, its a national forest. This area wasn't really being hit yet by COVID so we wanted to get something going. I saw these two brothers in a play and they were awesome so we wanted to put something together to feature them. We had to prep the locations by Nick and I going in and assessing it and figure out what was best for filming and blocking the actors.
Nick Psinakis: I think we kind of piecemealed it together. We had the ideas on paper so we would go to each landing spot and then back to the script instead of doing it all at once. There were boats and kids jumping off of rocks so we had to work around those things.There was the July heat and a ton of bugs. The fire scene took so long we ended at like 3:00 in the morning.
What do you guys think about these comments from Kevin and Nick? Will you be checking out The Long Dark Trail or does it seem like it isn't in your vein of horror love? Either way, be sure to share your thoughts in the normal spot. Also, be sure to check out the film's trailer below!
STAND BY ME meets MIDSOMMAR in an unnerving new folk horror tale from writer-directors Kevin Ignatius and Nick Psinakis. After two impoverished teenage brothers manage to escape their abusive father, they embark on a treacherous and haunted journey in the hope of finding their estranged mother who has joined a sadistic cult, deep in the woods of Northwestern Pennsylvania.
The Long Dark Trail premieres on Digital, DVD, and Blu-ray today, February 21st.