| Stone Creek Killer is a slow-burn, indie thriller about Karl (Clayne Crawford), an alcoholic police chief with a shady past, pursuing a potential serial killer in the small town of Stone Creek, Minnesota. This is just such an all-around, well produced movie that it keeps you watching even when parts of it look familiar or not headed anywhere good. | | 2025
Directed by: Robert Enriquez
Screenplay by: Clint Elliott
Starring: Clayne Crawford, Britney Young
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Early on there are distinct Wolf of Snow Creek vibes with the Sheriff of a small town being an unpopular alcoholic with memory issues and could be the killer himself. But the comedy and werewolf part of that movie send it in a different direction. Stone Creek Killer remains a lot more somber. A psychic is brought in because she seems to have real knowledge of the murders despite the fact that Karl and all sane audience members know that psychics aren’t real.
The atmosphere is stellar, starting with the perfect simplistic opening. Karl is waking up out of a drunken stupor, his police assistant/cop is calling him as he’s supposed to be in the office by now. There’s a new transfer to be interviewed but at the same time, a local drug-addicted mother is upset that her daughter is missing. Marge (Britney Young), the police officer/front desk assistant (this is a small town after all), is annoyed that she’s wasting their time, but Karl agrees to look for her even though she likely just ran away again. We get to see the town as Karl goes to everyone who might know her whereabouts. It’s a simple intro, but quick, effective and is surprisingly gripping.
The reason the atmosphere is so good is thanks to two key parts of the production. Since this is clearly a low-budget independent movie, I’m going to do some shout-outs. First, composer Karam Salem has the perfect score. Creepy, mysterious, and never goes over-board with it, and most importantly, knows when to go for silence. Second, cinematographer Chris Lange who is responsible for some crisp shots of Chisholm, the real small town in northeastern Minnesota.
I’m also a big fan of the acting in this movie. Britney Young starts out as more fun, a bit desperate to be taken more seriously, which gradually turns into a desperate urgency as the film moves on. Andrew J West turns up when the killings seem bigger than this small town can handle. All led by Clayne Crawford who simultaneously appears both innocent and guilty throughout the film, which is a difficult line to walk and he does it perfectly.
There are bits and pieces in the story that try to round it out more – like how the town is trying to get rid of their police department because it’s just too small and not enough crime to justify having their own police chief, which would of course put Karl and Marge out of jobs. There’s also the psychic who shows up but is too valuable to be distrust-worthy. All these bits and pieces are interesting on their own but don’t add enough to the story. A story which starts petering out and ends in a bit of cop-out.
Stone Creek Killer is just such a well made independent movie that it’s still an easy to recommend watch for anybody who likes slow-burn thrillers.
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