“I never make a plan. Like a comet shooting across the sky, just happens. Nobody knows where I’ll land.”

Story: A sociopathic loner who kills people that seem to have lost hope or interest in life spends some time in a a small town. He stays with an unhappy couple, and is awkwardly pursued by his coworker Ferrin. I’m sure this’ll go well.

Scares: A creepy chill throughout, but nothing overt.

Splat factor: Not much. Dead bodies but nothing drippy.

Closing scene “shocker”?: A tiny one.

Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Based on the novel by Lew McCreary
Trick or Treat?:

Vann is an interesting character. A true sociopath, completely clueless when it comes to human interaction. That makes for a fascinating character, even when placed in this quiet, indie-horror story.

An offbeat think piece, with a blackly comic undercurrent. Owen Wilson sets his face into an emotionless tabula rasa, allowing others to fill in the blanks as they see fit. Janeane Garofalo’s achingly honest Ferrin is an interesting counterpoint to the flat affect of Vann. And Sheryl Crow does an excellent job playing a burned out alcoholic that runs afoul of Vann’s twisted sense of right and wrong early in the film.

This is a very interesting film, and one that doesn’t bother to spoon feed viewers. That’s a good thing. Some viewers may not have the patience to let this creepy tale unfold. That’d be a shame.

Score:   out of 5 pumpkins.