Unhappy after having to move into his late grandfather’s house, teen Jacob (Connor Lawson) isn’t looking forward to living in the small, insular village of Elmbrook. The place has an eerie aura, not least because of the legend of the Elmbrook puma, which stalks the streets ‘protecting the good’. There’s also the drug-dealing teens and a general ‘stuck in a rut’ feel to the place. He makes a few friends at school, but things get complicated when he finds his grandad’s old video camera in the loft, alongside a VHS tape (which he’s told how to use) with gramps explaining that the camera has been modified to somehow see into the past. An hour earlier, to be precise. A spate of disappearances linked to the puma, run-ins with the local bully, as well as missing his father and grandfather, add to Jacob’s angst, but the camera will come in handy when his new girlfriend (Helen Chong) goes missing.

Director Paul Stainthorpe superbly captures the atmosphere of a small village that time has forgotten, blending family strife with heightened mystery within an unassuming indie flick. The Brook blends sci-fi, horror, and teen drama well, albeit with a few small leaps of logic. The young cast stand out well, particularly leads Lawson and Chong, which is remarkable for a low-budget feature debut. It perhaps reveals the answer to ‘is there or isn’t there a real puma’ a little too soon, but it all pays off in the end.

Screenwriter Chris Watt (Stalker) keeps the dialogue relatable and the teens palatable (this is no Eden Lake), which is always a plus. The soundtrack is packed with damn good needle drops from a host of indie punk artists. We definitely checked out Jam Tub on the strength of this!

A strong debut that defies expectations.

THE BROOK screened at Tubi FrightFest.