The Village 2010

Kirsten Schwarz ([eleanor-tomlinson]) is a 17-year-old girl approaching her 18th birthday, and she struggles with insomnia that leaves her feeling increasingly restless and curious about her past. Her journey begins when she stumbles upon a disturbing legend about a village called Selmen, infamous for the tragic suicides of teenage girls reaching adulthood. Kirsten’s sister, Marie Schwarz ([finn-atkins]), confesses that she has left her job and needs help finding a new one, adding to Kirsten’s mounting concerns. Meanwhile, Kirsten explores her own mysterious history, discovering unsettling images online—among them, the face of Hepzibah ([markta-frsslov]), a young girl who is linked to the village’s dark past.

Her curiosity deepens when her parents reveal that she is adopted, and that her biological father is still alive—an emotional shock because her sister Marie believed their parents had died in a car accident. Driven by the desire to uncover her roots and understand the truth, Kirsten travels to Selmen, where she meets Dr. Wagner ([david-bamber]), a scientist who tries to persuade her to accept experimental sleep-inducing pills of his own invention. Kirsten encounters Melanie ([helen-mutch]), a girl her age who reveals she’s in a similar situation and shares stories of others like Stephanie, who have faced their own terrifying encounters with the village’s supernatural history.

An intense séance held on Melanie’s 18th birthday becomes a pivotal moment, as Melanie communicates with a spirit she suspects is Hepzibah. During the ritual, unsettling things happen—Melanie hears a baby crying, and soon after, she is found hanging in her closet, seemingly having committed suicide under mysterious circumstances. This pattern continues with Stephanie, who, on her own birthday, is tied down by her parents in a desperate attempt to protect her from Hepzibah’s influence. Despite their efforts, Stephanie dreams of Hepzibah hanging her in a dilapidated hay cottage at midnight, confirming the villagers’ horrifying stories.

Kirsten’s investigation leads her to a local librarian ([murray-melvin]), where she steals a forbidden book about local witchcraft. Hidden inside is Hepzibah’s diary, revealing her history as a healer falsely accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake during a brutal witch hunt. Historical records mention Joseph Curwen, linked to the village’s dark past, who was present at her trial. Kirsten also befriends Raphael ([christopher-elson]), a teenage boy who claims to have seen Hepzibah materialize in his truck, and Pater Raymond ([kevin-colson]), a priest skeptical of her claims but eventually understanding the truth.

Kirsten believes that Hepzibah’s restless spirit seeks peace by being buried in sacred land, but Pater Raymond tells her that she is already buried secretly—possibly indicating her desire to reunite with her lost child. Kirsten investigates the nearby woods for signs of the infant, believing this might be key to ending the curse plaguing Selmen. Tensions reach a breaking point when Marie appears unexpectedly, pretending to support Kirsten but secretly entering into an agreement with Hepzibah to eliminate her. Marie’s sinister plan is to be the one to deliver the witch’s wrath and start a new life free of her past.

The climax unfolds in a harrowing scene when Kirsten finds the charred remains of a baby, and Marie attacks her with an axe, trying to kill her so she can be the one to give the child to Hepzibah. Kirsten desperately seeks help at the church, pounding on the door until Pater Raymond opens to her. Meanwhile, Raphael is severely injured, and Marie is wounded, but they are finally rescued. Pater Raymond performs a solemn ritual, blessing Hepzibah’s and the baby’s remains, praying for their peace and forgiveness for the church’s dark history.

In the aftermath, Raphael is hospitalized, offering Kirsten comfort by telling her that her true parentage doesn’t matter. However, a chilling suggestion remains—a doctor nearby, who gave her the drugs of which she has no memory, might be his biological father. The story concludes with a tense scene in an art warehouse, where a young artist examining local history experiences inexplicable movements of sculptures. Suddenly, her computer displays a close-up of Hepzibah’s sinister face, smiling menacingly, hinting that the dark forces surrounding Selmen might not be entirely laid to rest.