The Squaller (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain. 

Brooke Garrison’s (Rhyan Elizabeth Hanavan) father has gone missing. He’s known around town for being something of a conspiracy theorist who hunts Bigfoot. When a local law enforcement officer, Hope Evans (Ashlee Lawhorn), makes it her personal mission to find the missing man, Brook and Hope find that they have more in common than they initially believed. 

The Squaller is ultimately a film about human connection, one that begs viewers to look beyond our differences and focus on all that we have in common. Some of us may be crazy conspiracy theorists, some of us may be judgmental of those we’ve been taught to dislike, and some of us may be those tasked with protecting everyone. We all differ from those around us, but The Squaller does an interestingly effective job of reminding us of the things we have in common, rather than those aforementioned differences. In a film that touches on urban legends and young girls on the edge of being full-blown hillbillies, Cox manages to create something that is innately human and ultimately relatable. At its core, that is. 

I feel that there is much to dissect throughout the course of The Squaller, and that the themes present throughout the duration of the film are of grave importance. On the surface, however, some issues plague this film and make the dissection of those aforementioned themes challenging. Many of the lines feel inorganic, almost as if they aren’t part of a greater dialogue, but as if characters are speaking at one another. I hate to blame younger actors for their performances, but the reality is that Hanavan has difficulty reacting to others’ lines with legitimacy, and that’s where I believe that unnatural feeling in terms of the dialogue stems from. The Squaller can’t quite find its way on the surface, and I found myself struggling to accept much of what was said throughout as a result. 

Well, back to the good. Writer-Director J.W. Cox develops a story that requires a very specific setting, one that doesn’t work unless viewers are effectively dropped into the middle of the dense, semi-remote forest. To be cut off from civilization, with just enough connection to it is a  must, and, while it doesn’t seem like the filming locations present in The Squaller are completely isolated from the rest of the world–Cox and Director of Photography Joe Palmer do a spectacular job of creating that effect. 

The Squaller is a film that really rattled my brain and forced me to question its validity. Does it truly express the truth about human nature? Is it slightly convoluted, presenting a story that feels far-fetched? I suppose the answer to both of those questions are “yes,” but, even after finishing my review of The Squaller I’m struggling to understand if my thoughts are honest and fair. It’s one of those times in which you can’t quite think of what to say anymore, but you’re afraid to stop talking because you haven’t really made your point. I suppose that this is a compliment to The Squaller, as it’s forcing me to ramble on about the possibilities that it presents to viewers. So, I’ll leave you with this: The Squaller is a convoluted, innately human story that accurately conveys the struggle of man, while flipping that reality on its head and presenting it through the eyes of both innocence and anger. 

Written & Directed by J.W. Cox. 

Starring Ashlee Lawhorn, Rhyan Elizabeth Hanavan, Vince Hobart Smith, John French, Robert Alan Walker, etc. 

7/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE