Lovely Dark And Deep Taps Into Robert Frost

The directorial debut of Teresa Sutherland (The Wind & Midnight Mass) looks simple. But like her previous bodies of work, Lovely Dark and Deep is a continuance of this writer’s ability never to be straightforward. The score will instantly make you aware that the backcountry the title is set in, will bend time somehow. The low throbbing bass and instrumental jitter meant exactly that for me.

It first alerts its audience to the fact Lennon has cut her finger while driving to her first job as a park ranger. A large deer appears out of nowhere. I noticed that these two things have become a stamp for this type of story. Those who enjoy clues and symbolism in their films will continuously pick apart the pieces of Lovely, Dark, and Deep.

Lovely Dark and Deep follows Lennon, a park ranger as she begins her journey in the wilderness. Never fast-paced and continuously lost in a dreamy and slowly burning storyline, this is the type of horror tale we have seen from Sutherland before. The main gist of what is happening is that people in this neck of the woods, go missing. And they go missing a lot.

Lennon (Georgina Campbell, Barbarian) is almost a solitary character. The supporting cast is underplayed but serves the purpose of what they are there to do. There is a short flurry of excitement about midway when Lennon is awoken to the sounds of someone frantically bashing on her cabin door. This scenario evolves into a full-scale search which also gives viewers their first insight into what is happening. The backcountry Lennon is stationed in not only took someone she knew but it’s still taking people.

Fortunately, the horror movie Lovely Dark and Deep eventually lands the big reveal. Much of what happens on the journey there is a little predictable and extremely uneventful. Despite inserting graphic sections of gore and blood-filled imagery, there’s a lack of urgency to it that strips it of some much-needed tension. Most of the blanks do get filled in but some things remain ambiguous. We learn what happened to Lennon’s sister and the park ranger who lived in the cabin before her. The title leans into moral elements for the cast. It also hones in on the fact that this section of wilderness wants what it wants or else.

Lovely Dark and Deep Movie Trailer

“Into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”

Quote from the movie Lovely, Dark, and Deep.

Lovely Dark and Deep the Backcountry Ranger Travels Alone

The title when I googled it, came up with a Robert Frost signature poem. Critics have argued about what specific parts of the poem mean. However, one journal talks about the verse below signifying “the unfulfilled duties and responsibilities that need to be done while we are still alive.”

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost poem, Lovely, Dark, and, Deep.

The ending of Lovely Dark and Deep plays into this ethos from the famous poem. It also sinks into Sutherland’s story about what happens when you try to unearth a secret and end up a victim.

This title was screened as part of The Fantasia Film Festival 2023 and premiered on July 23rd. Fantasia Fest runs from July 20 through August 9, 2023

LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP, lands on U.S. VOD on February 22nd, 2024 from XYZ Films.

Lovely Dark and Deep is rated

3 horror stories about camping through the dangerous wilderness out of 5