I think uncovered another so-bad-its-good in Ashley Billington’s b-horror, The Dark Hammock. If anything, it’s a throwback to the early DIY horrors of not-so-long ago.
There’s something deadly lurking in a Florida campground. Our tale opens with a young woman with a large satchel of cash running for her life, but she’s not being chased by anything human.
Meanwhile, four teens prepare for a weekend of camping. Ryan (Logan Billington) and Chad (Noel Brillinger) are best friends. Chad has Ryan’s back by inviting his crush, Jackie (Jane Hadley Critchfield), on the trip. But let’s read: Chad is more interested in hooking up with his girlfriend, Rachel (Ella Johnson). Jackie doesn’t want to be alone with the nerd Ryan, so Jackie assures her they will all be together in one big tent. Chad only has two small tents.
The girl who disappeared at the beginning of the film was delivering drug money for the corrupt Sheriff Baker (Marshal Critchfield). Desperate to find the girl and the cash, Baker has his goons head out into the woods and find her before the Colombians realize what happened.
As the teens set up camp, after having a stranger buy them booze, they discover the cash and decide to keep it for themselves. Little do they know there’s a tracking device in the bag, and little do they also know that something inhuman is following them.
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“Jackie doesn’t want to be alone with the nerd Ryan, so Jackie assures her they will all be together in one big tent. Chad only has two small tents.”
At first viewing, you’ll see that The Dark Hammock is a DIY horror film. If you and your friends love horror, have camera equipment, and own a big a*s truck, then you have everything you need to make a horror film.
There’s a bit of charm to The Dark Hammock and its simple story. Teens go out into the woods to make out, they find cash, and have to figure away to outsmart the sheriff and his goods. The alien lurking in the distance is dessert at the end. What co-writer/director Billington does so well is keep this story moving and keep the story from going off the rails along the way. While The Dark Hammock is mostly about teens outsmarting the law, my only complaint is I want more aliens…like a lot more.
The biggest technical issue for the film is the sound. I will hand it to Ashley Billington for his decision to re-record the dialogue throughout the entire film. It’s hard not to notice it, and the film (set in the 90s) soundwise feels like a throwback to the low-budget indies of the 70s. It’s not a complaint, but it really gives the film charm, particularly with the not-so-fancy dialogue between the teens.
Let’s face it. We like no-budget indies specifically for their lack of polish and for seeing how the filmmaker overcomes this obstacle with very few resources, like a camera, a simple story, and a bunch of friends and family willing to hop on for the ride.