The Silence of the Marsh

1,000 feet beneath Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Trail, cavers in an uncharted subterranean system inadvertently open an expansive chamber containing countless prehistoric bats. Drawn toward loud sounds, the blind bats begin swarming the country and eventually come to be called ‘vesps.’ Montclair, N.J. - 20 Miles Northwest of NYC - Hugh Andrews, his wife Kelly, their deaf daughter Ally, their younger son Jude, and Kelly’s mother Lynn learn about the killer vesps and the need to stay quiet from a television broadcast. Hugh’s longtime best friend Glenn joins the family as news breaks about the epidemic causing death and chaos worldwide. Deciding to get away from the city, Glenn and the family take two vehicles and head out on the road with Ally’s dog Otis. On the drive, Ally uses her iPad to FaceTime with her crush Rob about the crisis. While stopped at a gas station, Glenn shoots an armed man in his leg when he tries carjacking Hugh. A traffic jam forces Glenn and Hugh to drive off road. Glenn overturns his vehicle down an embankment when he swerves to avoid hitting a deer stampede. Glenn forces Hugh to go on without him after he becomes trapped in his wrecked vehicle. Vesps swarm Hugh’s vehicle while his family panics inside. Glenn fires his gun to draw the vesps to him. Glenn dies. Hugh is forced to let Otis go because of his loud barking. Lynn’s asthmatic cough draws a vesp back to the vehicle. Hugh throws a tire iron to draw the vesp away. Hugh then uses Lynn’s cigarette lighter to torch Glenn’s vehicle, which summons vesps to immolate themselves. Unable to use their vehicle due to its noise, Hugh, Kelly, Ally, Jude, and Lynn hike into a forest on foot. The family finds a fenced cabin compound. Vesps attack and kill the elderly owner when she comes outside to chase away the family with a shotgun. Hugh and his family crawl through a drain tunnel to get past the fence. A hissing rattlesnake attracts vesps that bite and claw Kelly’s legs. Hugh activates a wood chipper that draws the swarm to their deaths. Everyone makes it inside the cabin where they begin treating Kelly’s wounds. Ally contacts Rob again and discovers that his family’s situation is growing worse. Lynn tells Hugh and Ally that Kelly’s infection will spread if they don’t treat her with antibiotics. While Jude stays behind with Kelly and Lynn, Hugh and Ally explore a deserted town to retrieve medical supplies. After escaping another vesp encounter, Hugh and Ally meet a tongue-less man who calls himself ‘The Reverend.’ The Reverend asks Hugh and Ally to join his cult called ‘The Hushed.’ Hugh and Ally politely refuse and return to the cabin. Ally tells her father that a CNN broadcast reported that vesps have an aversion to extreme cold and people are surviving by heading north toward colder climates. Ally also mentions areas now known as ‘The Gray,” which are dead zones cut off from electricity and outside communication. Rob later texts Ally to say he is traveling north to a sanctuary called ‘The Refuge.’ The Reverend comes to the cabin with several followers. Hugh again refuses to join The Hushed. The Reverend implies that he wants Ally for procreation purposes. Hugh pulls a shotgun on The Reverend, which compels him to leave. A little girl comes to the cabin later that evening. Hugh lets the girl inside. The family realizes she is one of The Hushed when they see her missing tongue. The girl reveals a vest of cellphones that suddenly begin ringing. Additional cellphones planted all over the cabin draw a swarm of vesps that break through the windows. In the commotion, several members of The Hushed break in to abduct Ally. Lynn gets Ally away from her abductors outside. Lynn sacrifices herself by screaming to draw the vesps toward her and the kidnappers while Ally escapes. Hugh and Kelly fight back against the attackers and eventually kill The Reverend. Hugh, Kelly, Ally, and Jude hike north until they finally reach The Refuge. Ally reunites with Rob and they begin adapting their survival skills to hunt vesps. (thanks to culturecrypt)

Last Updated: June 17, 2025 at 14:14