I have not seen Jon Knautz’s feature debut Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer because, frankly, the premise doesn’t interest me. That said, I’m a big fan of his short films Still Life and The Other Celia so I perk up when I see his name, as was the case upon seeing on Quiet Earth that a teaser for his next feature film was online. That would be the more straight-up horror film The Shrine, due out sometime next year.
After a young American backpacker goes missing in Europe, a group of journalists link his disappearance to a remote Polish village called Alvaina. Upon further investigation, the journalists discover that Alvaina has a history of bizarre cult activity revolving around human sacrifice. Hellbent on revealing the truth, they travel to the small village to uncover the story first hand. But after the discovery of an ancient stone statue hidden within the town, they quickly find themselves pursued by a mysterious and vengeful group of locals. Forced into the gruesome reality of true survival horror, the journalists soon realize that Alvaina hides a much darker secret than they could ever imagine.
Color me intrigued for the time being. Explorations of cults can be fun, especially when combined with the inevitable retaliatory bloodshed.
