Pines (2022)

**_A redhead chased by shady yokels thru eldritch woods and dilapidated buildings_** A hospice care provider (Una Jo Blade) tries to find her missing beau in the sticks, but is hindered at every turn by unsavory characters, who might be mixed up with meth labs and the occult. Shot in 2011 but not released until 2022, "Pines" is a proficiently made thriller/horror directed by the protagonist (Una Jo). It combines plot elements of “Winter’s Bone” and "Rust Creek" meshed with the backwoods horror of “Blair Witch” and the beautiful women stuck in an abandoned building angle of “Death Tunnel.” The lovely Una Jo is one of the selling points along with the creepy sylvan ambiance and implication of America-in-decline. The premise of a goodhearted caregiver resorting to violence when backed into a rundown corner is also interesting. Unfortunately, the cut-up storytelling is viewer unfriendly (not to mention annoying), which makes for an incoherent experience. Yet it’s effectively disorienting, which is what the creators were shooting for. This isn’t only for horror fans, but also those interested in a grim backwoods drama/thriller, like “Blackway,” aka “Go With Me.” The film runs 1 hour, 15 minutes. Regrettably, I can’t find info on where it was shot, not even in the end credits; I’m assuming somewhere in the great northwest, possibly Oregon (which is where the studio’s previous movie was shot). GRADE: B-/C+