An ambitious reporter, a secretive mental institution and a knife-wielding stranger. Some assignments are worth turning down.

Tara Perry stars as Trish Bostwick, a journalist stuck churning out disposable YouTube content when a mysterious disappearance finally gives her the chance to chase a real story. The trail leads to Wentworth, a secluded institution with centuries of history and all the warmth of a locked basement.

Before Trish can get close to any answers, a knife-wielding stranger hijacks her car and sends the investigation spiralling into paranoia. Reality begins to fracture, motives become impossible to read and even Trish’s own mind can no longer be trusted.

Director Michael May, whose credits include Ghosts of the Ozarks, mixes Lovecraftian dread, folk-horror rituals and survival thriller tension in a descent into the unknown. Katie Parker and Scott Dean co-star in this twisted tale of missing people, buried secrets and a reporter discovering that some stories bite back.

Following its festival run, Where Darkness Dwells arrives on UK digital on September 21, courtesy of GrimmVision.