A sense of dread and paranoia becomes increasingly intense in this thriller set in a remote lodge in the Smokey Mountains. With a Philadelphia cast and crew and atmospheric North Carolina locales, this tale of good and evil is a memorable feature to end this year's festival.

We are proud to conclude our 125-film, 12-day festival with the World Premiere screening of Philadelphia filmmaker Robert (2 Minutes Later, Open Cam) Gaston’s newest film — this entertaining and engrossing post-gay* thriller. Grady (Ross Beschler), a recent city transplant, has his hands full fixing up his recently acquired lakeside resort lodge, hidden away in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina. With only local boy Beetle (David J. Bonner) to assist, he inaugurates his hotel by inviting a group of college friends for the weekend. He also invites his recently aloof boyfriend Andy (Matthew Montgomery) to join in the fun. Instead of the anticipated cheeriness of a relaxing weekend, troubling events, strange behavior and an increasing sense of doom begin to trouble the already emotionally vulnerable Grady. He gets dumped by his bf, begins to question his friends’ reasons for being there and becomes wary of the outwardly jovial but potentially threatening Beetle. Is his paranoia warranted or is he the problem? When a violent storm keeps anyone from leaving the hotel, the pervading sense of doom intensifies. Gaston, despite a small budget, creates an intense sense of dread, as nerves are frayed, suspicions aroused and the threat of violence comes to a boil. This taut, wholly satisfying film brings a thrilling conclusion to this year’s orgy of films. --Raymond Murray

*Post-gay? Refers to films which feature gay and lesbian characters, but the stories do not revolve around their sexuality – they’re simply queer and now here is the tale.