Tilly (Anna Bullard), Monica (Annie Hamilton), Peter (Rory Alexander) and Allison (Grace Binford Sheene).are in a car crash and everyone survives except Allison, whose uncle blames them for her death. Monica has a plan for the summer, as she thinks they should all get out of town and go to the country. That way they can work through their grief and be away from the stares of people who think that they killed their friend. The summerhouse they are staying in is a welcome place of normalcy until a masked man shows up to make them all pay.

Directed by Alex Herron and written by Ulrvik Kraft, this Scandinavian-shot movie continues the trends of twentysomething teenagers from 90s horror. This movie feels like I Know What You Did Last Summer mixed with a home invasion, well, that’s what it is. The difference is the teens in that movie all felt a sense that their life had been destroyed by their secret. Maybe it’s the length of time since the accident, but not everyone here is working through it here. That said, the last ten minutes of this movie are intensely rough as everyone pays for their crime, but the final resolution feels too easy. But man, that drowning scene? Intense.

Dark Windows is far from perfect, but there’s something here. I think Herron and Kraft have a better movie in them and it will be great to see it happen.

Dark Windows is part of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival. You can get a virtual pass to watch the festival from August 10 to 20. To learn more, visit the official site. To keep track of what movies I’ve watched from this Popcorn Frights, check out this Letterboxd list.