Having to move back to their small hometown, Piper and her uncle Jacob go back to where memories of her mother await them as well as a mystery around the marsh nearby and its evil being.
Written by Matthew Festle, Matt Leal, and Megan Olenik, with Leal directing, ShadowMarsh is one of those small indie films that puts its money in the atmosphere and performances of its cast. The story here is one that will feel familiar, but it works well, and it’s brought the screen in a way that keeps the attention on the film. Most of the characters here, except the mayor, are folks that are easy to connect with and help make the film one to watch through to the end. The film has some suspense and a ton of atmosphere, it’s the kind of film that is thick with it, giving the characters a world to evolve in that feels heavy and creepy. There is of course more than just atmosphere creating the creepy mood, but the evil being at play here is almost unnecessary as their presence is felt without showing them. However, the idea of them being strong enough, the filmmakers still went with a reveal and a town secret to go with it all. It works, but it almost feels like more mystery remaining could have helped make the film even more effective.
The cast here is mostly solid with one exception, so let’s focus on the good. Ellen Woomer as Piper does well, giving the character a vulnerability, something that the viewer can connect with before the character really gets her chance to get going, helping keep the attention on her throughout. Her performance is definitely a good selling point for the film. Playing her uncle Jacob is Mike Ferguson who most folks have seen playing tough guys and gun-toting characters. This is not the necessarily the case here as Jacob is a man who is doing the best he can for his niece and bringing her back to their hometown is clearly something that hits him hard. This is a different side of Ferguson’s work that is quite welcome, showing that he can take a more emotional part and do something good with it. Then we get the more familiar faces to horror fans with Felissa Rose, Lew Temple, and David Sheridan. Rose and Temple do well here, giving small town couple with a lot on their plate, Temple having most of the bigger scenes here. Sheridan on the other hands feels like he’s in a completely different film at times, his take on the town’s mayor coming off a bit too much, like an overly colorful character for what the film needed. Was that as written, as directed, or his own choice, it’s hard to tell. The rest of the cast is good, giving performances that help the film and do not stand out too much, something that is important here, meaning that not standing out is a good thing here, giving performances that fit their characters and surroundings.
The film’s look here is also a big part of the atmosphere and mood. The cinematography Justin Phillips and the editing by Matt Leal create a lot of this with the images, how the camera spends just the right amount of time on certain scenes, the balance between lingering and faster movement. This works great for the atmosphere and mood of the film mentioned before and it makes for a film that exceeds its budget. The look of the film is clearly planned here and yet feels like it’s just there, happening by accident.
This is not a jump scare movie or an uber-violent one, it’s a film that relies on characters, story, and mood. It’s the kind of film you put on and end up surprised by how far in it dragged you. The feeling here is what elevates this over most other beast or monster in the shadows, evil being lurking films.