Welcome to Willits

Drug-addled delusions mixed with sylvan horror and a bit o’ dry humor

A group of youths make camp in the backwoods of the “emerald triangle” in Northern California (where there are numerous marijuana farms). Unfortunately, they trespass on the land of a paranoid man and his wife (Bill Sage and Sabina Gadecki), who evidently believe in malevolent aliens. Anastasia Baranova plays their visiting niece.

"Welcome to Willits” (2016) is low-budget horror that starts with similarities to "Night Skies" (2007) and "Extraterrestrial" (2014), but takes a different path, not to mention adds some droll humor. Anyone who appreciates flicks that involve horror in the forest, whether the antagonist is a psycho or a creature should find something to like. "Berserker" (1987) and "Into the Grizzly Maze" (2015) are good examples, although the Indie budget is closer to “Night Skies” and “Berserker” than the other two, only costing $464,770.

Both Sabina Gadecki and Anastasia Baranova are attractive, particularly the latter (although their roles downplay their beauty here and understandably so). On the other side of the gender spectrum, Dolph Lundgren appears in a throwaway role.

The film runs 1 hour, 24 minutes, and was shot in Shreveport, Louisiana, with some stuff done in Los Angeles, not to mention an establishing shot of the entrance to Willits, which is a half-hour drive from the coast in Northern Cal, a 3-hour drive south of Willow Creek and a slightly less drive west of Oroville.

GRADE: B-