An Unpredictable Horror Thriller With a Smart Twist

These days, I try to stay as uninformed as possible before checking out a new film. I usually skip trailers and often only skim the plot synopsis provided by the distributor. Filmmakers rarely want their audience to go into a movie with any more information than necessary, yet studios seem to think people won’t engage if they don’t know exactly what to expect from the get-go. Accordingly, trailers and even plot synopses often contain spoilers that diminish audience enjoyment. 

Bark is a film I went into with nothing more than the logline in mind, and I enjoyed it that much more based on my lack of preconceived notions. Although director Marc Schölermann doesn’t get every last little thing right in Bark, it’s a scrappy, well-written picture that rarely goes for the most obvious outcome. 

What Is Bark About?

The film follows Nolan (Michael Weston), a man who wakes up in the middle of a forest tied to a tree with absolutely no idea how he got there. As time passes, Nolan begins to hallucinate, his grip on reality gradually deteriorating. When a rugged, hirsute, and handsome stranger (A.J. Buckley) eventually appears, Nolan is unsure whether or not his bearish visitor is really there or a figment of his imagination. Following the mysterious stranger’s arrival on the scene, things take a series of unforeseen turns, building to an unforgettable climax. 

I was really taken with the script. Screenwriter Steve Fauquier drops us directly into the heart of the action with almost no context. That put my brain into overdrive as I tried to come up with guesses as to how Nolan landed in this unpleasant predicament. While I eventually put a few pieces of the puzzle together, many of the revelations came as a complete shock. 

An Unpredictable Ride

As I watched this breezy effort, I found myself asking, “Where is this going next?” That line of questioning yields a series of unexpected answers along the way. A high level of unpredictability combined with the absence of any context makes this feature an often surprising and endlessly entertaining ride. 

Writer Fauquier throws out several twists along the way, a couple of which I bought into without ever questioning. A couple of times, though, I found myself bummed, thinking he was taking the narrative in a direction that would cheapen the overall effect. Yet, each time I thought that, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was dead wrong. 

At the point where all becomes clear, I was pleased to learn that the story has a profound moral message at its core, serving up an evergreen reminder that actions have consequences and sometimes they catch up with us in the most unexpected ways. I will stop there, but trust me when I say that I had a big smile on my face when the credits rolled. 

My Notes Are Surprisingly Minimal

Most aspects of this flick work remarkably well, especially considering the budget. I only have a couple of minor qualms. One is that the onset of the hallucinations Nolan experiences doesn’t have a lot of rhyme or reason outside of what serves the narrative. At one point, he’s completely delusional, existing in a reality of his own creation due to hunger and dehydration, yet when the story calls for it, he is as cogent as can be. That’s a bit convenient, and it took me out of the proceedings a couple of times. 

Admittedly minor misgivings aside, I really enjoyed Bark. It’s a scrappy, self-contained picture that kept me guessing. It’s one of my favorite horror films of 2025 so far.  

If you are eager to check the flick out, you can scope it on VOD and in select theaters now!

Tags: A.J. Buckley Bark Dark Sky Marc Schölermann Michael Weston Steve Fauquier

Categorized:Reviews