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This latest feature from ultra-cheesy filmmaker Robbie Banfitch (after The Outwaters and White Light) sees him wearing many hats; he is the film’s director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and lead actor, multitasking beyond measure. The result is a stunning achievement: a sad little story about a family grieving for their missing sister that tempts viewers to think there are ghosts, or something supernatural. Footsteps and footwork play a big role here, with a well-crafted sound design that makes the game feel more complex than the cheaper versions of this genre.
Banfitch plays a young man named Robbie Lyle, a filmmaker who has come home to the village New Jersey spending time with his mother Leslie (played by Banfitch’s mother Leslie Ann Banfitch, giving a moving performance). Both men and women are still trying to deal with the unknown disappearance of Robbie’s sister Noelle (Salem Belladonna, she only sees photos and old home videos, but often hears singing), who disappeared a few years ago while walking on the hidden path of the title. Robbie tells Leslie that he is making a doc about angels or spirits; she believes Noelle is haunting the house, but when she goes out and asks the locals what they know about her sister’s disappearance, it’s clear she’s skeptical.
Naturally, this means that Robbie’s mind will be put to the test when things go wrong at night, Leslie begins to fall asleep and say unpleasant things in a fugue state and, most interestingly, Noelle’s old music box is left open to play the Blue Danube waltz while a little dancer spins. In addition, Noelle’s old cassette tapes, decorated with pictures she made of barren trees or leaves on the ground, seem to depict scenes in the forest that Robbie was not supposed to visit. The air is thick, though it would have been dangerous if someone had instructed Banfitch to tighten the settings because there are repeated voices that try the patience.
