The Killing Dark
The Killing Dark is a is a terrifying thrill-ride with nail-biting sequences, an inspiring heroine, memorable villains and a powerful story of survival. It is a psychological thriller, inspired by true events, exploring the darkness of humanity; driving those in our community to commit the most-heinous of crimes. It is also a story of the strength of the human spirit in unthinkable conflict.
A self-harming teenage girl, at odds with her insufferable father, escapes from the torment of home… only to find herself trapped in the cruel and cunning web of a remorseless couple, kidnapping and torturing vulnerable girls for their own, macabre gratification. Can Sara muster enough courage within herself to outsmart the heinous killers and fortify an unassailable determination to live?
The Killing Dark is a psychological thriller about a teenage girl struggling to find her place in the world, who is suddenly thrown into an unimaginable horror and, ultimately, the greatest fight of her life.
The Killing Dark is a feature film currently in production, shooting in Melbourne, Australia during 2023 and 2024.
I‘m so scared. I don‘t know how much longer I have. I know they will kill me. If you find this, tell my story. If you find this, please come and find me, too...
Synopsis
Sara Pieridae is struggling to find the joys of being an ordinary teenager – of being an impressionable young woman – fresh out of high school. Cruel words from her friends feed an insatiable appetite of self-loathing and, secretly, of self-harm. Her rejection only poisons her thirst to understand the self-inflicted death of her mother, just days earlier. Sara’s world is now insular, despondent and she’s very much alone.
An unforgivable argument with her father finally breaches her resistance. His accusations of blame for his wife’s suicide convince Sara that she needs to find an undiscovered soft place to fall. But she has no plan. Nowhere to go. No one to help her. Standing at her mother’s grave, Sara is unexpectedly comforted by Frank and Rose Ratford – her estranged auntie and uncle. They offer her understanding, comfort… and a place to stay.
But something is not quite right about her seemingly lovely and accommodating relatives.
Nonetheless, Sara is bewitched by their consolation and agrees that a new environment may just proffer the transformation her battered soul is crying out for. Frank and Rose’s quant, forest-set home is no stranger to backpackers seeking accommodation, so Sara is convinced she’s ‘got lucky’ with her auntie and uncle. She is suddenly blessed with warmth, attention and a growing sense of importance, as Frank and Rose instantly embrace her, like a lost daughter
Sara’s increasing self-belief is further enriched by a gentle interest from ‘the boy next door’, whom she quickly befriends and grows to like. In the crisp, cleansing, forest surroundings, Sara’s new world promises to break through and usurp the depression and self-loathing of her former life.
But what Sara discovers, however, is that Frank and Rose are not quite what she thought they were – not the gentle, caring souls they profess to be. Their façade disguises a dark and heinous secret and, as quickly as Sara had embraced her newfound joy, she now becomes trapped in Frank and Rose's macabre web of deceit and manipulation.
She learns that she is not the first young woman ensnared in Frank and Rose’s sugary promise of love and attention – only to be groomed and then, imprisoned, for a series of torturous games and monstrous gratification. With increasing desperation, Sara’s journey becomes an outright fight for survival against insurmountable odds.
As the terror of her hopelessness overwhelms her, Sara must somehow conquer her own demons of self-worthlessness and use her newfound strength to escape from Frank and Rose’s unrelenting and unforgiving clutches, if she is to defeat their murderous game.
Her own life now depends on it!
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