Writer and director Douglas Forrester brought his feature film debut, Carry the Darkness, to Panic Fest 2025. This 1990’s throwback follows metalhead outcast, Travis, constantly misunderstood by the residents of his small town. When a sinister entity begins carrying out horrible crimes, it’s up to Travis to fight to prove his innocence and stop the entity.

Carry the Darkness delivers a nostalgic slice of 1993. Taking inspiration from the Satanic Panic of that era, as well as the concerns around metal music and violent video games, the film really showcases small town paranoia. Travis is an outsider. He has one good friend and his taste in music, clothing, and activities make him a bit of a pariah in his town. His loneliness and emotional vulnerability make him an easy target for evil. Emerging every 30 years, this thing attaches itself to a susceptible host, sometimes taking on their appearance or possessing them, as it wreaks havoc before vanishing again for another 30 years. Forrester takes the audience along with Travis on a journey to find his self-worth, despite what everyone around him says, all while incorporating 90’s pop culture references such as The X-Files, Unsolved Mysteries, and even The Clapper. For the most part, this journey is compelling to watch, but some might wish for more context around the entity. As the mystery unfolds there is some background revealed, but not enough to fully understand what the evil is and how it operates. Sometimes this enigma could add to the thrills, but in the case of Carry the Darkness it leaves a few too many unanswered questions.

Some performances in Carry the Darkness are a tad overdone, although that might be in part due to how some dialogue is written, but there are a few standouts. Joel Meyers (Call Me Crazy, Thinly Sketched) stars as Travis. Meyers certainly does a great job conveying the angsty loner side of this character, but his performance really shines when playing Travis in the more emotionally charged scenes. He’s also great at switching up his speech and body language when playing Travis compared to the evil entity in Travis form. When it comes to other standout performances, the most memorable are of the characters closest to Travis. This includes Jaden Gant as Travis’s best friend, Helen Laser (Bull) as the complicated new girl, and Autumn Breaud (Hello in Here) as Travis’s mom. Each performance individually adds to the emotion of the film, raising the stakes and making the audience care more about Travis.

From the moment the film begins, audiences will feel transported to 1993. The costume and production designers of Carry the Darkness did their best to create a classic 90’s look. Even the somewhat grainy appearance of the film feels authentic to the time period. Most of the visual interest comes from the abandoned building that seems to be the home of the evil entity. In the middle of a wooded area, there is a large concrete building with collapsed walls, broken windows, plant growth, and tons of graffiti. The location is eye-catching, but it’s when the teens venture deeper that things get a bit odd. The walls turn from concrete to drywall, leading to a simple white door, but what’s on the other side of that door constantly changes. It’s a bit confusing to the eye, but as the audience learns more about the entity and how it operates, the more the constantly changing building makes sense. The film has a generally simple visual aesthetic, allowing for the characters and the mystery to be at the forefront.

Carry the Darkness is a haunting snapshot of 90’s Americana as one teen battles isolation, small town conservatism, insecurity, and pure evil. The story is compelling, despite elements of the plot feeling incomplete, but it’s certainly a feature film debut that will make audiences take notice. The performances from the core teens are a great balance of angst and heart, while the visuals perfectly encapsulate 1993. Forrester has a unique voice and interesting stories to tell. Be sure to keep an eye out for Carry the Darkness, as well as whatever Forrester does next.

OVERALL RATING: 6/10