A lean, mean and creepily effective horror, Cobweb is seen through the eyes of Peter (Woody Norman), a timid boy from the American suburbs who lives with his parents Carol (Lizzy Caplan) and Mark (Antony Starr). At school, he’s bullied by others, and at home, his lonely existence is compounded by a strict disciplinarian father, who tells him things like ‘not everything is as sweet as it seems’. Gradually, disturbingly, Peter begins to hear noises through the walls, a knocking followed by a voice that calls his name. 

Peter’s only ally seems to be Miss Devine (Cleopatra Coleman), the substitute teacher who takes on his class and develops an interest in him. The question remains: who or what is the real evil in Cobweb? Set in the lead up to Halloween, the atmosphere surrounding the film pervades like an insidious noxious gas. Early on, we’re told that a young girl disappeared from the area some years ago. Is there a child killer on the loose? Is it something supernatural? Chris Thomas Devlin’s script doesn’t yield answers until strictly necessary.  

The film makes effective use of its limited locations, including a pumpkin patch at the back of Peter’s house. Director Samuel Bodin may be playing with horror iconography here (it’s hard not to think of John Carpenter’s Halloween), but he injects fresh life into the movie’s fabric. Aided by unsettling turns from Caplan and Starr in particular, when the finale arrives, it’s suitably icky, and doesn’t hold back on dispensing justice. You’ll be left suitably chilled.

Cobweb is in cinemas from Friday 1 September.