William Jackson Harper in They Remain (Paladin)

William Jackson Harper’s credits include playing Chidi, a brainy philosophy expert, in the NBC comedy The Good Place. He brings a similar intellectual edge to this head-trippy horror flick, where he finds himself in what is most definitely a bad place—the one-time stomping grounds of a murderous cult.

The film starts out with a quote from no less than H.P. Lovecraft: “Wise men have interpreted dreams, and the gods have laughed.” It hints at the hubris to follow as corporate scientists Keith (Harper) and Jessica (Rebecca Henderson) arrive at the site, a grassy field surrounded by woods on many sides, to study possible connections between mankind and the natural world. As Jessica explains, in the others sites that the now-defunct cult once occupied, the animal population has been diminished. To test whether this trend will continue, Keith sets up heat-sensing remote cameras throughout the woods.

It may sound like the premise of a found-footage horror film, but They Remain is simultaneously far more mannered and more idiosyncratic. Director Philip Gelatt utilizes a more traditional aesthetic that doesn’t feel quite so immediate compared to jerky-cam. However, he makes up for it with a tone that becomes increasingly surreal and nightmarish. The film is full of dark symbolism that sometimes flashes across the screen for a second and at other times looms enigmatically—for example,  a black fossil resembling a tusk, which Jessica brings back to the camp.

What follows is increasing paranoia and disconnection from reality as Keith and Jessica experience strange visions, which in his case, might have to do with having seen footage of the cult prior to the mission. Either way, the story wouldn’t be nearly so compelling if not for its two main characters. The pair had been romantically involved on a prior occasion, and both are products of imperfect homes, and each has trouble connecting with others as a result. Given where they are, one cannot help but infer a comparison being made between cults and families as having the capacity to leave scars of a sort on their members. Gelatt eventually takes this idea to its most literal, and visceral, extreme.

In what is essentially a two-person piece, the actors do terrific work, with Harper bringing a slow-burning quality to Keith, who comes to question everything he previously experienced. Henderson also deserves praise. The actress doesn’t get the luxury of flashbacks and only has her performance to try and convince us that what her character has been through is disgusting, terrifying, and fascinating.

The film also features an ominous score reminiscent of Tangerine Dream’s work that Gelatt uses with restraint. However, there are times in which the visuals and mood overpower the story, leading to a few plot-related questions that are never quite answered. Nevertheless, They Remain‘s greatest strength is that it manages to sustain a relatively high level of tautness. Besides the characters and acting, Gelatt accomplishes this through cutting from one scene to the next abruptly, without necessarily resolving the tension in the earlier scene.

Meanwhile, in a recurring visual trick, a background object slowly comes into view to surprise viewers. The film derives chills not just from what is seen but what has been lying in wait, only becoming obvious to the protagonists when it is too late.