This is something I’ve never seen before: Vermont rural horror. It has strange art-house leanings and long takes, like a French film directed by Martin Goldman, who also directed The Legend of CENSORED Charley after a career in advertising. It also has an incredibly unlikeable lead, but it was the 1970s. For being the “Me Decade,” it doesn’t feel like anyone liked themselves or anyone else.

Sal (J.J. Barry, who also co-wrote the film along with Goldman and lead actress Carole Shelyne) is amid a divorce and a resulting mid-life crisis, bringing him to Vermont. He sets up a photography business, starts building a studio and hooks up with an artist named Jackie (Shelyne, who also appeared as Carolyne Barry), who has been through a divorce herself.

It was all going so well — until Sal runs over the granddaughter of Old Man McDermitt, who just so happens to have the powers of the occult at his command. Whoops.

From then on, Sal feels even more out of place than before. His body constantly gives out on him, he has visions of a hooded demon, and everyone around him is getting maimed. One of his friend’s girlfriends tries tarot reading, but that upsets him even further. Even consulting the town’s foremost witch—Academy Award-winning Kim Hunter, getting top billing for her short screen time—can’t stop fate, particularly when Old Man McDermitt busts in with his shotgun.

Much of this film is devoted to the experience of being a stranger in a strange town. Long pauses, worried glances and even moments of weakness add to an overwhelming dread.

The good news is that everything ends if you enjoy movies where things happen slowly. Dark August is for you. Actually, there’s plenty to like here, and you can see how a lesser director would make this into a Blumhouse movie of the month that would end up pissing me off. Here, it just intrigues me, and I end up spending all day doing more research on this film.