THE SECRET OF BARE HILL

MAKEDONSKA KREPOST - as PROD

Thriller - Development 2023

In the wake of the annual carnival, the return of a young porn star to her hometown initiates a series of brutal murders. Two detectives arrive to investigate the killings but are met with resistance from the mayor and local police as they uncover a dark secret from the past.

    • Year of production
    • 2023
    • Genres
    • Thriller, Crime
    • Countries
    • USA
    • Languages
    • ENGLISH
    • Budget
    • 3 - 5 M$
    • Duration
    • 100 mn
    • Synopsis
    • The story is set over three days in a small lakeshore town. A young porn star returns to her hometown after a ten years absence to say goodbye to her dying father. Simultaneously, the otherwise quiet life of the locals is disrupted by a series of ghastly murders.

      A hard-boiled detective with a troubled history and his new partner arrive from the capital to investigate the killings. "Mad Dog" Arben is a veteran detective with no unsolved cases on his record. Still, he’s also a magnet for problematic situations because of his explosive temper and somewhat unorthodox working methods. He often goes beyond his position's legal and ethical limits, unlike Fatos, his new junior partner who is for the first time out of the office and always works “by the book. “

      During the investigation, the mayor and the local police try to conceal the murder cases as unrelated accidents, afraid that this might affect the tourists' attendance at the upcoming carnival, an important economic asset for the entire region.

      The detectives have a hard time finding a connection between the killings, except that they have all started with the return of Lota Love, the recently returned porn star. The locals despise her and want to chase her out of the city. Ten years ago, Lota spent some time in a mental institution, accused of pushing her twin brother off a cliff. She claims to be innocent but stays the prime suspect until another brutal murder clears her. It becomes apparent that she does not have the physical strength to commit such an act.

      However, it is evident to the detectives that Lota is hiding something. After making an unannounced visit to her house, they discover that Lem, Lota's twin brother, survived the fall from the rocks and has ever since lived hidden in the house with his father. His body and face are terribly scarred and disfigured, but otherwise, he’s physically very strong. He bit off his tongue during the fall and communicates only through mumbling and body language. Now Lem is the main suspect.

      The detectives find their moral beliefs challenged as they unravel the long-buried secret about the terrible crime that happened ten years ago during the annual carnival.

      It is only on the third night, the night of the carnival, that the masks of innocence will fall out and reveal the truth.