Straight off the heels of The Dark Military, Loren W. Lepre’s short horror film brings us to the aftermath of the fateful Halloween hunt from one year prior. One man finds out that missing all the Halloween fun can lead to some pretty deadly consequences.
Carter moved to the middle of nowhere trying to escape his past. But neither the mountains of North Dakota, nor a settled family life are able to erase what cannot be undone.
The Dark Military: Rogue, IMDB
Carter decided to take the money and run, far far away where no one could find him. He married his love and was living a good life, until Barabbas, head of the Dark Military found him once again. Now he and his wife are in danger, forced to reckon with Carter’s mistake. The Dark Military: ROGUE takes the chaos and revelry of the last film and scales it down to man vs. man.
In these 20-odd minutes of screentime, ROGUE brings the terror home when Carter’s personal life is threatened, something he had wished to escape. Forced to answer questions truthfully, Carter, his wife, and their friend face the wrath of Barabbas and two other Dark Military members. With the say from the mysterious “General,” each answer either gained them some time — or painful punishment. Through answering these questions, Carter’s world falls apart, and we are left with the notion that the Dark Military will once again be free to cause death and destruction on All Hallows Eve.
Like its predecessor, ROGUE offers unrelenting characters and effects that really make us squirm. From simple knife slits to full on intestine-pulling, ROGUE doesn’t skimp out on gore just because the runtime is short. Not only that, but the characters are just as fiendish as before. The storyline lets us into the inner workings of the Dark Military, where we learn that members are more or less ride-or-die. Through dialogue we hear how pain can be purged from the body and evil left to fill those spaces, allowing members to come back to do this year after year. The money helps too.
The Dark Military: ROGUE is a smaller cast, yet delivers on concise fear and cliffhangers for more to come. No one is safe when these villains are on the prowl. Not even their own members. And especially not on Halloween night.
For more of The Dark Military: ROGUE, check out writer/director Loren W. Lepre on Instagram!
