There’s a kidnapping at its core, but Binding Eva bears more in common with The Ritual or The Blair Witch Project than, say, The Disappearance of Alice Creed. Said kidnapper is desperate hoodlum Felix (Ryan Ralph Gerrard), who finds himself lugging around two hostages after a job gone wrong.
The titular Eva (Darcey Wood) is a young child, traumatised and near-mute after losing her father, and in the care of mum Katarina (Catherine Deevy). Nabbing them both during a carjacking, Felix forces Katarina to drive him out to the wilderness where calamity strikes. Now lost in the woods, the trio are forced to band together when it becomes apparent that there are mysterious forces lurking in the darkness… forces with malignant designs upon little Eva.
Binding Eva may eschew the found footage, but it’s a worthy successor to The Blair Witch Project. A fiercely low-budget supernatural thriller, it utilises the mud, wind and rain of its woodland setting to cultivate a palpable sense of dread and unease.
This is the feature debut of director Conscian Morgan, who proves himself an exciting new talent in the homespun horror field. While the dialogue occasionally stretches credibility, there’s a strong emotional core, particularly in Gerrard’s vulnerable leading performance, and his bond with young Eva. Shot on a shoestring budget with a skeleton crew, it’s as Indie as it comes, and all the more powerful for it.
If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a pleasant surprise – Binding Eva is a captivating work of grimy folk horror.
BINDING EVA premiered at Tubi FrightFest on August 29, 2026.
