Writer-director Nicholas Verso makes his feature debut with the dark Halloween themed coming of age fable Boys In The Trees and if the freshly released trailer for the film is any indication it would appear that it marks the arrival of a truly significant new talent.
It’s Halloween 1997 - the last night of high school for Corey, Jango and their skater gang, The Gromits. Childhood is over and adult life beckons. But for Corey, his past has some unfinished business. When he encounters Jonah, a former childhood friend but now victimised by Jango’s cruel streak, Corey takes pity on him and agrees to walk him home for old time’s sake.
What starts off as a normal walk through empty suburban streets descends into something darker and magical as they tell each other ghost stories, drawing upon their fears of the world around them. As they walk through their memories and ghosts of the past, Corey is surprised to discover how much he still has in common with his abandoned friend.
But on the night of the grave’s delight, even the most buried truths will find a way of coming to life.
Boasting an intriguing young cast, immense visual style and an approach to youth culture that seems to land somewhere between the darker impulses of classic Amblin films and the current indie wave of films like Blue Ruin and It Follows, Boys In The Trees will be having its world premiere in Venice and I can only hope will be rolling out widely from there. Check out the trailer below!