There’s captivating imagery in the latest trailer for Treehouse, the first traditionally filmed feature from Michael G. Barrlett, director of The Zombie Diaries and The Paranormal Diaries: Clophill. Here, he trades the camcorder aesthetic and UK setting for an Americana-infused youth-oriented thriller, and we’ll see the result this February.
Hitting next month from Uncork’d, Treehouse begins when Elizabeth (Dana Melanie) arrives home from school to witness the abduction of her younger brother. She gives chase and is not seen again. Soon, news breaks to the local community, coinciding with sightings of strange humanoids and animal abductions and mutilations. The town descends into paranoia and a curfew is enforced. Brothers Killian (J. Michael Trautmann) and Crawford (Daniel Fredrick) stumble upon Elizabeth by chance when sneaking out to party with some local girls and that is when all proverbial hell breaks loose! A confrontation looms between these youths and their hunters.
Bartlett has previously referred to Treehouse as a siege film, one which the titular construct is where the kids hole up. This allows for some misty, shadowy looks at figures in the forest below, as the corpses in the trees up high. That’s not to mention the golden look of its earlier preview. Bartlett seems to be aiming for that sweet spot between adolescent adventure and proper fright. Hopefully he makes it. Treehouse is out February 20th.
