Yet another indie horror flick has come through the Upcoming Discs hub. Although, I wouldn’t necessarily categorize The Midnight Swim into the horror genre: it’s more of a dramatic mystery. That is not to say that the film did not have any unnerving moments, but the priority of the storytelling was to study the three main characters. In an effort to capture three very different personalities while simultaneously providing a lingering suspense, The Midnight Swim created a tension that resolved to my satisfaction. Ultimately, the film favored its character study more than it did its mystery, which hurt my enjoyment as a result.

Presented as a documentary-style “family archiving” activity, the film follows three sisters as they journey back to their childhood home after their mom has died in a diving accident. Annie (Jennifer Lafleur), the oldest, is portrayed as the most levelheaded sister, with hints of estrangement from her mother. Isa (Aleksa Palladino), the middle child, provides the film with an emotional free spirit and the most positivity through their trip. Finally, June (Lindsay Burdge), the “family archivist,” operates the camera and is the youngest and shyest of the three. As June films this vacation, the daughters begin to discover the mysteries of the lake that took their mother’s life.

Frank Sinatra is a man of many talents, although I had never really paid much attention to his acting, as I had never actually seen him outside a musical. Anchors Aweigh and On the Town are among my favorite musicals. That being said, I have never watched a film where I have been fully attentive to Sinatra’s talents as an actor. While Suddenly has other big names like James Gleason and Sterling Hayden, I was surprised that the entire film had an incredibly rocky start without Sinatra’s presence in the first twenty minutes.

In the small town of Suddenly, the sheriff (Hayden) is contacted by the secret service, alerting him that the President of the United States will be making a brief stop in town, as a way to bypass the crowds of a larger city. The President is arriving by train, so the Sheriff is instructed to clear all the shop owners and home owners within the proximity of the train station. One home owner (Gleason) used to be a high-ranking secret service agent, so he is permitted to stay with his daughter and grandson. Eventually, a group of gangsters posing as FBI agents (led by Sinatra), show up to use the house’s location to assassinate the president.

Most villains on earth are those who believe that they are the good guys. She Who Must Burn proves that in spades when a local preacher wages war against a woman’s counselor for Planned Parenthood (not called that during the film, but that is the best way to describe it). This is another welcomed addition to the 31 Nights of Terror, again featuring human evil rather than supernatural evil, which in my opinion makes it even more terrifying, because it could easily go from a fiction to reality.

In a mining town plagued by stillborn children and cancer, Angela is a women’s counselor for a local clinic. In wake of the murder of two doctors at the clinic she works at by a religious fanatic, the state decides to stop funding for the facility. Angela decides to remain in the town in spite of the decision, in order to help those in need. She is met with contempt from many of the townsfolk who view her profession as a sin and want to drive her out of town.