Director Steven Hugh Nelson brought his feature film debut, Old Wounds, to the 2025 Panic Fest. The film was co-written by and stars Nelson, Chelsey Grant (Frogman, Scare Package), and Brian Villalobos (Scare Package, Last Girl Standing). Old Wounds follows a man documenting a road trip to meet his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Once at her childhood home, the couple discover someone else is recording as well, allowing dark secrets to come to light.

From the moment Old Wounds begins, the found footage style film feels real. This is in large part because the three stars also wrote the film together, implying there was likely a lot of ad libbing during filming. It allows for an authenticity to the way these characters interact with each other, making them seem like real friends. Old Wounds begins by showing couple Ashley and Steve going on a road trip to Ashley’s childhood home. Steve, an aspiring filmmaker, decides to record their entire trip on his iPhone. This allows the audience to get to know these characters and their dynamics. While Ashley gets a strange sense they’re being followed, it isn’t until the couple arrives at the secluded homestead that things take a turn for the strange. Someone is definitely watching the couple, making their own movie on an older handheld camera.

The plot unfolds slowly, building the tension and sense of paranoia. There’s a playfulness here as well that takes typical social awkwardness and ramps it up to something far more unnerving. Every word spoken and action taken become suspicious and no one can be trusted. It might be a bit slow for some viewers, but the pacing and uncertainty add to the realism. It all leads to a shocking conclusion that will delight some audiences, while others might find it anticlimactic. Whichever side you land on, there’s no denying the film goes in unexpected directions and delivers the most realistic found footage film since The Blair Witch Project.

All three stars of Old Wounds deliver compelling performances that make their characters come across as real people. Steven Hugh Nelson plays Steve, the boyfriend and aspiring filmmaker. Nelson gives off a lovable goofball persona as this character. He does his best to be kind to everyone and make everyone happy, which unfortunately leads to some frustrating decisions on his part. Chelsey Grant plays Steve’s girlfriend, Ashley. Ashley is a bit more hardened by life than her boyfriend, but Grant still makes the character seem fun and caring. Grant only changes that in the moments when Ashley feels nervous or threatened. Brian Villalobos plays unexpected visitor, Graham. Immediately audiences will pick up on the strange, nervous energy Villalobos presents as this character. Graham is definitely a weirdo, and Villalobos conveys that while still making the character intriguing. Together, these three actors have great chemistry that makes their interpersonal connections seem authentic.

It’s difficult to create a lot of visual interest in a found footage film. Old Wounds uses a simple trick to achieve this. When the film begins, the quality is decent because the audience is seeing through Steve’s iPhone camera. Yet there is another POV shown, recording the couple from a distance, usually hidden in foliage. This view is from an older, lower quality camera. Between the views and the grainy quality, these images add to the feeling of unease and fear. The location the filmmakers chose for Old Wounds is also fantastic. Ashley’s childhood home is very remote, surrounded by woods and a small pond, cut off from the rest of the world for miles. The house itself is nice, but the age and some of the unfinished renovations help add to a horror feel. Then there is, of course, an old barn filled with all sorts of strange old items. Found footage films typically don’t have any musical score, which is mostly true for this film. However, certain scenes in the climax do use a bit of a classic horror score. Audiences might find this strange at first, but by the time the film ends it begins to make sense.

Old Wounds presents a classic found footage horror story before turning it on its head. It’s a great feature directorial debut for Nelson. His directing, as well as the collaborative writing and acting efforts by Nelson, Grant, and Villalobos, easily help create the illusion these are real people going through a very real experience. While the ending will polarize some audiences, it’s sure to leave an impression on the minds of everyone who watches. One thing is for sure, found footage fans will want to keep an eye out for Old Wounds.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10