You’ll Never Find Me [Telluride Horror Show]

A tense thriller and an enthralling mystery, “You’ll Never Find Me” is never quite what you expect and always more than you are hoping for.

In the middle of the night, during a heavy rainstorm, a young woman (Jordan Cowan) bangs on a door for shelter. She’s arrived at the mobile home of a single, elderly man (Brendan Rock), a suspicious recluse. He’s hesitant to let her in, even in the face of the pouring rain. She’s barefoot with no purse, wearing a swimsuit under her clothes.

Eventually, he concedes and opens the door for her, albeit without any welcoming pretense. The two do not trust each other. He’s suspicious of having a visitor; she’s suspicious because he won’t help her get back into town.

You’ll Never Find Me (2023) vibrates with tension, leaving the audience wondering who is a threat to whom. Is this a home invasion film or a woman trapped? Who is in danger?

I was lucky enough to watch this film at the Telluride Horror Show. One of the biggest questions audiences will have throughout You’ll Never Find Me  is, “What’s going on with this woman?”

What was she doing out in the storm, in such little clothing and no belongings? How did she make it to the man’s mobile home community in bare feet in such an oppressive storm?

The man clearly has secrets, too. They could both have innocent secrets, or they could be much darker.

Viewers’ loyalties will shift back and forth throughout, and a little more is revealed about each character.

You’ll Never Find Me, which marks the feature directorial debut of Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell (who also wrote the film), relies on strong performances from the two leads. They are both in almost every scene, and there are very few other characters in the film.

It is compelling, distressing, and tense to watch them cautiously dance around one another and try to get the upper hand.

Without spoiling anything, it’s easy to say that You’ll Never Find Me is for fans of mysteries, twists and turns, and not afraid of a shocking conclusion. It’s an Australian film about relying on the kindness of strangers, which brings to mind Wolf Creek (2005), though You’ll Never Find Me is much less violent (and the lead actress, Jordan Cowan, is in Wolf Creek 2 from 2013).

The ending is cathartic and earned and will make you want to start the film again immediately from the beginning.

The film premiered at Tribeca in June before heading to Austin’s Fantastic Fest, followed immediately by the Telluride Horror Show. Shudder was quick to snap up the rights to the film in North America, the UK, and Ireland. This means horror fans will soon be able to enjoy the film on the streaming platform when it debuts digitally on March 22, 2024.

Mark your calendars because you don’t want to let You’ll Never Find Me sneak past you.

Written by: Ariel Powers-Schaub