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Tied to a tree with no recollection of how he got there – or why – when Bark opens with its interesting set-up of seeming Average Joe, Nolan Bentley (Michael Weston), in this predicament, Marc Schölermann‘s horror effort wants us to question if he’s a victim or a perpetrator.
Over the course of its 90 minutes, Bark plays with our perception of reality and just where Nolan is – both physically and psychologically. It may confuse and demand answers that aren’t always immediately answered, but Schölermann (who also gifted the horror genre with the largely underseen and wildly audacious Milo Ventimiglia vehicle Pathology in 2008) clearly enjoys such a temperament, toying with audiences as it leads to an ending that ties everything together.
He’s clearly been tied up for a number of days, and as his mindset starts to falter and play tricks on his own reality, he believes that his saviour may have arrived in the form of an Outdoorsman (A.J. Buckley), who stumbles upon him in the middle of the woods. Given that Steve Fauqier‘s script has already leaned into the notion that Nolan has hallucinated certain people in the vicinity, he isn’t entirely sure if the Outdoorsman is someone he can trust. And when he notices how calm the Outdoorsman is, it starts to play on him that, maybe, he’s talking to the very man responsible for his situation.
Whilst it has a slick 90 minute running time, Bark adheres to a slow burn mentality, teasing its mystery and letting its audience hang for the next narrative reveal, which indulges in an almost Saw-like way of thinking, committing to the notion that you should be punished for your sins. What that sin is is, thankfully, revealed, but just what the Outdoorsman has taken issue with is one thing in particular; and Fauqier, wisely, makes sure that Nolan’s act is one that all audiences will object to.
As to be expected, like most horror films, it’s the ending that needs to stick to tie it all together, and Bark really knows how to cap it all off. There’s a true sense of satisfaction as to how Fauqier puts a definitive end to proceedings, with a tense, emotional build that allows an eventual sigh of relief with a closing shot that leaves no doubt as to Nolan’s state of being.
A more stripped back genre piece, one that speaks to the true appreciators of horror who don’t need instant, physical gratification, Bark rewards those that sit with its deliberate pacing and ironically claustrophobic setting. In short, this Bark really has some bite!
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Bark screened as part of this year’s Dark Nights Film Festival, running between October 9th and 12th, 2025. For more information, head to the official site here. Bark is available on Digital in the United States.
