dir. Erik Bloomquist

At a slight 70 minutes Night at the Eagle Inn is a wonderfully lean affair, managing to craft a compelling story with a fabulous roster of characters. Following twins as they visit the hotel where their father disappeared, they discover the location has a friendly, if run-down demeanour: however what starts off as a fraternal road trip takes a dark turn as night draws in and, as expected, Bad Things go down.

The script by Erik (director) and Carson Bloomquist is full of great lines, packing in jokes that help undercut the palpable tension, whilst the central quartet each give turns that are fascinating and unexpected: Greg Schweers is delightfully off-putting as the Night Manager, his warmth hiding sinister motives, whilst Beau Minniear shifts with the tone of the film – a charming figure that smacks of danger – and central siblings Amelia Dudley and Taylor Turner have a delightfully spiky chemistry that gives a sense of the story around this singular night.

Bloomquist is a director who’s making a name for himself, and having recently impressed with Ten Minutes to Midnight he here once again shows exactly how to put an indie genre film together. The great ensemble are aided by Thomson Nguyen’s coldly gorgeous cinematography and Gyom Amphoux’s haunting score, with Night of the Eagle Inn ultimately showing horror at its best, swirling tropes into a pot and serving a delightful broth that will warm the most frozen of hearts.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Russell Bailey