Dark Nature 2023

Joy, portrayed by Hannah Emily Anderson, endures a harrowing relationship with her abusive boyfriend, Derek, played by Daniel Smith Arnold. One fateful night, Derek’s violent tendencies escalate as he attempts to strangle Joy. In a desperate act of self-defense, she manages to fend him off and locks herself in a secure room. However, when she emerges, she is devastated to discover that he has taken her beloved dog’s life.

Fast forward six months, Joy has finally extricated herself from Derek’s grasp. Her supportive long-time friend, Carmen, portrayed by Madison Walsh, invites her on a therapeutic retreat in the woods led by Dr. Dunnley, played by Kyra Harper. Together with another patient, Tara, acted by Helen Belay, they embark on a journey meant to heal the emotional scars left by their past traumas. As the trio travels to meet their therapist and Shaina, portrayed by Roseanne Supernault, Joy and Shaina open up about their painful histories during a deep discussion in the midst of the serene forest.

That night, as darkness envelops the camp, Joy is haunted by nightmares that feature both Derek and a terrifying creature, signifying her unresolved fears. The following day, while she and Carmen are engaged in a trust exercise amidst the trees, Joy’s mind begins to betray her as she hears Derek calling her name. Anxious and confused, she voices her fears to Dunnley regarding the uncertainties of their location. In a moment of vulnerability, she confides in Carmen about hearing Derek, but Carmen expresses skepticism as she had heard nothing.

As tensions rise, another patient, Tara, becomes separated from Shaina. Under the weight of her own hallucinations and the vivid memories of her trauma, Tara imagines her hands bound and bloodied. Joy finds her in a pitiful state, both girls awakening to the realization that they are all losing their grip on reality.

The situation worsens when the group explores a cavern where Joy is assaulted by auditory hallucinations. A moment of privacy turns sinister when Joy sees Derek and the monstrous apparition again while she is in the forest. An unseen force begins to strangle her, but Carmen arrives just in time to pull her back from this terrifying brink. Despite Joy’s growing conviction that something sinister is stalking them, her friends remain largely unconvinced.

On the following morning, panic sets in when they discover that Tara has vanished along with their supplies. As they search frantically for her, Dr. Dunnley too succumbs to her own hallucinations, eventually disappearing. In an attempt to regroup, Joy and Carmen confront Shaina, but she is engrossed in her own memories of her combat experiences in Afghanistan. In a tragic twist, Shaina falls, and they are left without her as well.

In their search, Joy and Carmen uncover a cave and find Tara there, yet the danger is far from over. Carmen bravely attempts to rescue Dr. Dunnley but meets a tragic end at the hands of the creature. With nowhere to turn, Joy and Tara seek refuge in a pile of logs near a river, but the creature finds them, leading to Tara’s selfless sacrifice for Joy and Carmen’s escape. Injured but determined, they make their way back to camp to tend to Carmen’s wounds.

Confession pours forth as Joy reveals that she had seen Derek just before their retreat began, having knocked him out in self-defense after he forced his way into her home. The weight of her traumas resurfaces that night when the creature abducts Carmen, compelling Joy to return to the cave. In a heart-stopping moment, Joy confronts the creature, which takes the form of Derek. In a burst of courage, she embraces the manifestation before turning against it, stabbing it and igniting it with Derek’s lighter. With heavy injuries and their fates uncertain, Joy and Carmen struggle to escape from the cave, desperately seeking the safety of a hospital.