And Soon the Darkness

Jane and Cathy, two young nurses hailing from Nottingham, embark on an adventurous cycling holiday through the picturesque landscapes of rural France. During a bustling lunch at a lively restaurant, Cathy notices a charming man sipping drinks at a table nearby. Not long after the duo departs, this intriguing man also leaves the cafe, riding off on his Lambretta scooter. As they pedal along a scenic country road lined with rolling farmland, the two women are overtaken by the man on his scooter. In an unexpected turn, they cross paths again when they spot him resting beside a cemetery.

As they enter a quaint village, fate brings the man back into their orbit. Feeling weary from the biking expedition, Cathy decides to take a break and sunbathe in a lovely wooded spot by the road. Although Jane initially agrees to join her, a disagreement over their travel plans leads to her decision to forge ahead alone. Soon after, she arrives at a charming roadside cafe overseen by Madame Lassal, who warns her of the potential dangers in the area, advising her against wandering alone. Meanwhile, Cathy, still basking in the sun, becomes increasingly agitated, sensing a lurking presence. Attempts to depart result in a shocking discovery—a vandalized bicycle wheel—and soon, she faces an unknown assailant.

Feeling remorse for abandoning Cathy, Jane rushes back to the sunbathing spot, but finds only Cathy’s camera left behind in the grass. At this moment, the man from the restaurant appears once more, introducing himself as Paul. Jane explains the situation and, keen to locate her friend, accepts Paul’s offer for a ride back toward the village. As she inquiries with the locals, she is met with haunting tales of an unsolved rape and murder of a young woman from three years prior—an incident described by an English schoolmistress as “quite a scandal.” Undeterred, Paul rides off into the woods in search of Cathy.

In a determined effort, Jane convinces the schoolmistress to give her a lift towards the gendarme to file a report about Cathy’s disappearance. During the journey, the schoolmistress reveals that the grave crime occurred in the very woods where Cathy vanished. Unable to find the gendarme, Jane returns to the cafe, seeking help from Madame Lassal, who implores her to leave the area instead. Again, Jane encounters Paul, during which he admits to having worked with the Surete and conducting his own investigation on the murdered woman. Disagreement ensues when Jane discovers that Paul has taken the film from Cathy’s camera, leading her to assume the worst—that he has harmed Cathy.

In a frantic race against time, Jane finally tracks down the gendarme’s residence, desperately recounting her ordeal. While the gendarme steps out to investigate, Jane is left alone in the house. Just then, Paul arrives, but Jane refuses to let him in. When he forcefully breaks in, Jane bolts into the woods, where she discovers an abandoned trailer park. Hiding in one of the campers, she makes a chilling discovery—Cathy’s lifeless body. Paul pursues her through the woods, but Jane manages to fend him off temporarily by striking him with a rock.

On the brink of hope, Jane stumbles into the gendarme, embracing what she believes is rescue. However, in a chilling twist, the gendarme reveals his true intentions, initiating a horrifying assault. Jane struggles against him, and just when it seems all hope is lost, Paul emerges, injured but determined, to save her by subduing the gendarme with a vicious blow from a branch.

Last Updated: November 15, 2024 at 20:46