Blackwoods

Years ago, Matt caused Molly's death in a car crash while driving drunk after an argument with his girlfriend. He was distracted by the car radio and struck Molly as she crossed the road. The accident haunts him and fuels the guilt that plagues his mind.

Matt and Dawn travel to the Blackwoods of Colorado for a private weekend getaway. He hopes to escape the guilt by retreating into the remote woods. Their arrival triggers unease in the town and sets the stage for the eerie events to come.

During a lunch stop in a small town diner, Matt notices several locals staring at him and Dawn with uneasy expressions. The attention hints that the town knows more than it says. The atmosphere foreshadows trouble ahead.

On the road, Sheriff Harding pulls Matt over and questions his identity and purpose. Without solid evidence, the sheriff lets Matt go but clearly suspects him. The tension between Matt and the town grows.

Matt checks into a local motel and is overcharged by the debauched clerk Greg. Later, a man with an axe attacks Matt in the motel room while Dawn is out walking. He escapes, calls the police, and the night grows darker.

Dawn's disappearance prompts Matt to call his friend Jim for help. He ventures into the wooded area to search for her, with fear building as darkness deepens. The sense of danger intensifies as the night wears on.

In the woods, Matt is captured by the Franklin family who restrain him and hold a mock trial for the death of Molly. They sentence him to be hunted through the forest. Dawn reveals that she is Molly's twin sister, claiming she lured him here for revenge.

Matt is released to be hunted, and he kills Jack and John in the pursuit through the forest. The chase reveals his fragile grasp on reality as he slides deeper into paranoia. The woodland hunt escalates into outright violence.

Jim tracks his friend down and tries to reason with him, but Matt attacks and kills Jim, believing him to be in league with the Franklins. The violence marks a critical break with reality. The illusion tightens its grip on Matt.

The narrative reveals that Dawn and the Franklin family never existed, and Matt's experiences were delusions crafted by his guilt. All interactions have been part of his mind's attempt to cope with the past. The mock-trial, the hunt, and the encounters dissolve into hallucination.

Sheriff Harding follows clues to the old Franklin house, discovering it is abandoned and in disrepair. He finds Jim's dead body and realizes Matt's experiences were hallucinations. He pursues Matt through the forest as the truth sinks in.

Matt runs blindly into traffic and is struck by a speeding truck, ending his life. The incident serves as a grim culmination of the guilt and broken psyche that haunted him. The town's response is kept within the Sheriff’s recounting.

In the diner, Sheriff Harding recounts Matt's unraveling to a waitress, explaining that his mind conjured a waking nightmare about Dawn and the Franklins. The tale underscores how guilt can distort perception and create a false reality. The waitress is left to ponder the cautionary story.