Meredith is finally ready to get back on the dating scene following an abusive relationship and its many emotional scars. Through some coaxing by her friends, she agrees to take a weekend trip with Bruce, a charming and seemingly harmless new potential beau. At first, everything seems perfect—Bruce’s private home in the woods is an art-deco wonder, and he’s as funny and warm as she’d hoped he’d be. There’s just one big problem: The real Bruce, the one behind those fake smiles and pleasantries, is a mentally unhinged serial killer, guided by horrific imaginary demons and armed with a unique and intimate murder weapon. But once Meredith realizes his actual motives, Bruce’s plans get more than a bit complicated.

With his first two films as a director, Girl on the Third Floor and Jakob’s Wife, indie horror producer extraordinaire Travis Stevens put his penchants for subverting genre tropes and shrewd gender analyses front and center. Well, you haven’t seen anything yet, folks. Perversely insane and wildly unpredictable, A Wounded Fawn is Stevens fully unleashed, barreling full-bore into Greek mythology influences and twisted surrealism that are anchored by a pair of all-in, breakout performances from Josh Ruben (director of Werewolves Within) and Sarah Lind. —Matt Barone

Travis Stevens