Official logline: Sam Evans, an experienced sound recordist, travels to an isolated forest in order to capture sounds far away from the noise of civilisation. As Sam ventures deeper, his mic picks up a sound no one wants to hear while alone in the woods.
Australian chiller Within the Pines works within the sylvan setting suggested by its title, but “between the lines” would make a fitting subtitle or description, as viewers will be reading that way for some of the film’s hinted-at elements. Sound recordist Sam Evans (Brendan Cooney) is having some relationship problems, but rather than face them head on, he heads to a forested area to record natural sounds. He hears what sounds like a scream or cry — I won’t give away anything more than that because going in cold to this film is highly recommended for maximum impact — and this being a horror thriller, he has a long night ahead of him.
Cooney gives a solid performance in a film that contains minimal dialogue, and he pulls off the emotions of his character quite well through facial expressions and body language. Writer/director/editor Paul Evans Thomas discloses new surprises at a slow-burn pace, with each new reveal delivering satisfying impact.
Because the film revolves around its protagonist being a sound recordist and uses sparse dialogue, the sound design obviously needs to be interesting and of high quality, and the sound department members — Sound Designer/Sound Editor/Sound Mixer/Sound Recordist Adam Orlowski, Sound Recordist Dylan Warren, and Foley Artist Link Ie — absolutely deliver. Additionally, Martin Cheney won Dark Nights Film Festival’s Midnight Spotlight Award for his highly fitting score.
Within the Pines is a terrific independent slice of fear fare well worth catching on its film festival run and beyond.
Within the Pines screened as part of Australia’s Dark Nights Film Festival, which ran October 11th through October 13th, 2024. For more information, visit https://www.darknightsfilmfest.com/.
