There is something about a dying seaside hotel that serves as the perfect petri dish for madness. In Harry Sherriff’s 2025 psychological chiller, that atmosphere of decay isn’t just a backdrop. It’s the primary antagonist.

When Elle (Emily Carey), an employee of a crumbling, off-season seaside hotel, vanishes, you might expect the usual procedural beats. You’d be wrong. The sheriff isn’t interested in the police tape or the frantic pleas of family members. Instead, he trains his camera on the hotel’s remaining staff, specifically Leonard (Samuel Blenkin). As the mystery of Elle’s disappearance lingers, this shifts into a claustrophobic study of grief, guilt and the slow, corrosive power of dread. The hotel is a rotting carcass, and as the investigation stalls, the staff begins to unravel.

The film relies heavily on its character-driven tension and the cast manages to capture that specific, hollow exhaustion of service workers stuck in a place that has long since stopped being profitable. Without leaning into grandstanding, the actors lean into the mundane terror of the situation. It’s a quiet, stifling performance style that makes the inevitable psychological breaks feel earned rather than forced.

Plus, it’s done in 71 minutes.

You can watch this either in-person or virtually at the Chattanooga Film Festival. For more info, visit the official site.