Introduction
Horror has always been at its most unsettling when it taps into stories that feel older than memory itself. Long before masked killers stalked suburban streets or supernatural entities haunted abandoned houses, communities passed down tales of cursed forests, missing settlers and creatures lurking just beyond the edge of civilisation. These stories endure because they leave questions unanswered. It’s that sense of mystery that lies at the heart of The Town That Takes.
The ambitious new horror thriller from writer-director Britt Bankhead, who also stars alongside creative and personal partner Grace Patterson (who also serves as co-producer), blends American folklore, detective mystery and creature-feature horror into one unsettling experience. The filmmaking duo sat down with Cinema Scholars’ own Glen Dower for an extended interview to discuss the real history behind the film, why practical effects still matter, and how they set out to create a horror story that lingers long after the credits roll.
From Croatoan to The Town That Takes
Although audiences now know the film as The Town That Takes, that wasn’t always the plan. “It was originally called Croatoan,” Bankhead reveals with a laugh. The screenplay began as an entirely different project before he realised the mysterious disappearance of the Lost Colony of Roanoke offered the perfect foundation for an original horror story.
“I’ve always been fascinated with the Croatoan legend—how an entire colony simply disappeared,” he explains. “Nobody really knows what happened, which gave us so much freedom to create our own interpretation.” The eventual title change came surprisingly late in production. “It was only about a month ago,” he says. “People thought Croatoan sounded like a dinosaur!” The new title may be different, but the mystery remains firmly rooted in one of America’s oldest unsolved legends.
Folklore Makes the Best Horror
Recent years have seen folklore horror flourish through films such as The Witch (2015), The Ritual (2017) and the enduring influence of The Wicker Man (1973). Rather than relying solely on jump scares, these films draw their fear from myths already embedded in cultural memory. For Grace Patterson, that’s precisely what makes folklore so compelling.
“I think people become fascinated by it,” she says. “They want to start researching it and coming up with their own theories. For me personally, that’s always a huge draw.” Bankhead and his team approached the material with the same curiosity. “We dug into Native American lore surrounding Skinwalkers and Wendigos. That became the direction we chose to take.” The research wasn’t superficial. “It took almost a year just designing the creature. When it’s based on real history, you have to be careful. You can use your imagination, but there are certain pillars you have to respect.”
Creating a Monster Worth Waiting For
Creature design became one of the production’s biggest creative challenges. Rather than rushing toward elaborate visual effects, the filmmakers spent months refining every aspect of their antagonist. Fortunately, they had help from one of the industry’s veterans. “Our creature artist had worked on Tremors,” Bankhead says. “That experience was invaluable.” The process became an ongoing collaboration. “It was constant back and forth,” he explains. “We wanted something original while still making it clear these creatures could transform.”
The result is a creature that feels grounded in mythology rather than fantasy—something ancient rather than invented. One of The Town That Takes’s smartest decisions is refusing to reveal too much too soon. Rather than showing every attack in graphic detail, the film often focuses on aftermath, clues, and growing uncertainty. That wasn’t a budgetary compromise. It was a storytelling choice.
“We wanted people asking, ‘What’s going on?'” Bankhead explains. “It’s not like Michael Myers where you immediately know who’s doing it.” Instead, the mystery unfolds piece by piece alongside the audience. That uncertainty becomes one of the film’s greatest strengths. Like the best detective stories, every answer simply raises another question.
Blood, Practical Effects and a Local Gas Station
When the violence does arrive, however, it arrives spectacularly. One standout sequence transforms an ordinary gas station into a grisly crime scene, complete with gallons of practical blood effects. For Patterson, filming there carried personal significance. “I grew up in that town,” she laughs. “That was the gas station I’d been going to since I was five years old.”
Fortunately, the owners proved remarkably accommodating. “I asked if we could throw a little blood around,” she smiles. “By ‘a little’ I mean… quite a lot.” Practical effects remained a priority throughout production. Working closely with the makeup department, the filmmakers carefully balanced realism with mystery, ensuring the injuries hinted at unseen horrors rather than revealing too much. “We didn’t want audiences to know exactly what happened,” Bankhead explains. “We just wanted it to feel brutal.”
Casting Gravitas
Every great horror film needs someone capable of grounding extraordinary events with complete sincerity. For The Town That Takes, that role belongs to Miles Mussenden. Bankhead admits casting the detective became one of the most important decisions of the production. “That’s probably one of my favourite characters I’ve ever written,” he says. “I knew we couldn’t just cast anybody.” Already a fan of Mussenden’s work in Tulsa King, Bankhead realised they shared the same management company.
“I thought…maybe we’ve got a way in.” Fortunately, the actor exceeded expectations. “He’s just as wonderful off camera as he is on camera,” Bankhead says. “He’s such a great person to work with.” Patterson agrees, praising the calm authority Mussenden brings to every scene. His performance provides the emotional anchor around which the film’s increasingly bizarre events revolve.
Building a Mystery That Rewards Rewatching
Although The Town That Takes embraces creature-feature horror, it never abandons its detective roots. The filmmakers openly cite classic mystery structures as inspiration. “We wanted it to feel like a whodunnit,” Bankhead says. He points to Wes Craven’s Scream as one of his earliest influences. “I remember watching it when I was about twelve and constantly asking, ‘Who did this?'”
That sense of uncertainty drives the entire film. Every suspicious glance and unexplained disappearance. Every character who leaves the room. The clues are all there. You simply won’t realise it until your second viewing. Music also became an essential storytelling tool. When writing, Bankhead often imagines scenes accompanied by specific songs. Originally, Nirvana featured prominently throughout the screenplay. Reality and licensing budgets had other ideas.
“We couldn’t afford Nirvana,” he laughs. Instead, the team collaborated with several musicians in order to create original interpretations that retained the atmosphere they wanted. One haunting reimagining of House of the Rising Sun becomes one of the film’s standout moments, adding a chilling melancholy to an already uneasy narrative.
Independent Horror’s Biggest Moment?
The release of The Town That Takes arrives during one of independent horror’s strongest periods in recent memory. From breakout festival hits to critically acclaimed theatrical releases, audiences have embraced original horror storytelling once again. “It’s been exciting to see people coming back to cinemas for independent horror,” Patterson says.
“We certainly didn’t expect this to become the summer that it did.” For Bankhead, the appeal remains simple. “I grew up watching the ’80s slashers,” he says. “That’s why I love practical effects.” That passion radiates throughout the film. Every creature. Every prosthetic. And every unsettling image feels handcrafted rather than computer-generated.
A Mystery That Doesn’t End
Without venturing into spoiler territory, The Town That Takes clearly leaves its world open for further exploration. Bankhead confirms those plans are already well underway. “I’ve already written the sequel,” he reveals. “I think I’m on my nineteenth draft.”
The filmmakers hope audiences connect with these characters and this mythology strongly enough to continue the journey. Given the richness of the folklore they’ve only begun to explore, there’s certainly plenty more territory left to uncover. Perhaps the greatest compliment a horror film can receive isn’t that it frightened audiences. It’s that it stayed with them. Grace hopes viewers leave wanting to know more.
“I love movies that I keep thinking about afterwards,” she says. “I hope people go away, start researching, and do their own deep dive.” That’s exactly what The Town That Takes encourages. It isn’t simply interested in monsters. It’s interested in the stories we tell ourselves about history, disappearance, and the unknown. Long after the credits roll, the real mystery remains. And that’s precisely where the best folklore always begins.
Where to Watch
The Town That Takes is now available in select theaters through Atlas Distribution, bringing its chilling blend of folklore, mystery and creature horror to audiences eager for something beyond conventional jump scares. For fans of The Witch, The Ritual, The Thing (1982) and Scream (1996), Britt Bankhead and Grace Patterson have crafted a horror mystery that rewards curiosity as much as courage. Just don’t expect all the answers. Some legends are far more frightening when they remain unsolved.
