Jen (Tedra Milan) is a photographer and her husband, Tyler (Michael Reagan) is a novelist. They’ve been evicted from their home, they’re low on gas and completely out of money. You could say at least they have each other, but Tyler’s confidence issues have driven a wedge between the couple. As they barely make it to the edge of a park, they decide to camp for the night. As for whatever money that’s left, Tyler has spent it on whiskey and starts drinking.

That’s when the masked men show up.

Directed and written by Jason Miller, Ghosts of the Void starts with a George Carlin quote — “The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.” — you may find it hard to sympathize with the couple, who have followed their artistic muses right into homelessness. Or you might think that that could be you someday. I worry about that a lot. But I also know that even though this system is rigged against us, you have to keep working.

That said, the end of this, as the golfing at the country club continues despite the violence of the night before, rings more true and is more frightening in its coldness than almost anything else in this film.

Ghosts of the Void 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.