This is a remarkably effective low budget movie. A small Midwest, rural community has had several children disappearances and the authorities have no clue. That last two that went missing was a 12 year old girl and her 6 year old brother. Meanwhile two other brothers decide to shoot off illegal fireworks with 4 friends but far enough away from town that the local cops won't see. The brothers come across one of the missing and vie to help out. But that's easier said than done. The biggest weakness and cause for many of the lower reviews is the backstory/events that fuel rhe "kidnappers"." Leaving the motivation/causes out doesn't make the movie weaker- just makes the plot more horrific. The plot "holes" are well covered with inferential scenes, meaning that it keeps the audience more involved than typical horror movie. Few classic tropes, in fact, it's a pretty fresh film. The cinematic violence is mild compared to the horrendous violence inferred from scenes. Feels a bit like Deliverance but with more of a horror quality and innocence, except pretty much the whole cast are portrayed by minors. Character development is A quality. The acting:direction is variable, they keep in a few scenes where some of the supporting roles were way to stiff. But the two leads are good. It's got a bit of the coming of age feel to it. Definitely a 5 or better film most of the bad reviews can't review without spoilers- so, maybe the ending isn't expected and it has a sub quality feel to it.
