‘Outcasts are easy targets’
Carry the Darkness is a 2025 supernatural horror film about a misunderstood metalhead teenager amidst a world steeped in the Satanic panic.
The movie was written and directed by Douglas Forrester.
The Falling Squares-Forrester Films co-production stars Joel Meyers, Jaden Gant, Helen Laser and Hollis Fox.
Official blurb:
“Set against the backdrop of small-town hysteria and inspired by the true-crime tragedy of the West Memphis Three, this atmospheric descent into paranoia and supernatural terror follows Travis Baldwin, a misunderstood metalhead teen cast as the scapegoat for a series of gruesome atrocities.
As a malevolent entity emerges from the nearby woods, claiming victims and warping minds, the town turns on Travis—driven by fear, fueled by dogma, and blind to the real darkness stalking them. Blending the eerie surrealism of Twin Peaks with the investigative dread of The X-Files, this timely horror tale explores the high cost of moral panic—and the monsters it creates.”
Plot:
In 1993, Travis Baldwin is already something of a pariah in his conservative rural community. He’s a troubled, rebellious metalhead who has been labelled a Satanist, making him an easy target when a series of brutal incidents begins occurring around the town.
A mysterious entity associated with the nearby woods appears to be responsible. People who encounter it are killed or psychologically affected, but the town refuses to accept that something supernatural could be responsible. Instead, suspicion rapidly falls on Travis.
Travis’s friends—including Jordan Conrad, another outsider, and Stacey Wagner, a new girl in town—become increasingly involved as the situation escalates. Meanwhile, Detective Jillian Carter, unlike many of her colleagues, begins questioning the convenient assumption that Travis is guilty and starts looking for the real explanation.
As the creature’s influence grows, Travis finds himself increasingly isolated and effectively hunted by his own community. He has to protect himself and his friends while trying to prove that the evil everyone is looking for isn’t the supposedly Satanic teenager they’ve already condemned—but something far more frightening lurking in the darkness…
Release:
The film premiered at the Nevermore Film Festival in March 2025. The Horror Collective and BloodStream distribute in the US. The movie was released exclusively stream on BloodStream beginning August 14th, followed by a multi-platform rollout from The Horror Collective on September 8th.
Filming locations:
Maryland, USA
Budget:
$20,000 (estimated)
Tech specs:
1h 35m (95 min)
6-Track Stereo
Aspect ratio: 1.78: 1
Trailer:
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