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The Hollow Town
Project type
Original Screenplay
enre: Historical Horror / Folk Thriller
Format: Feature Screenplay
An original screenplay by Shawn Maus
Logline:
During the 1921 West Virginia Mine Wars, a union nurse, a miner, and a young journalist journey to an isolated coal town cut off by landslides—only to find its residents eerily united in mind and body by something ancient beneath the mountain.
Description:
The Hollow Town is a folk horror rooted in American history, merging the authenticity of Matewan with the haunting atmosphere of The Lighthouse and The Witch. Set against the backdrop of the Battle of Blair Mountain, the story explores solidarity, faith, and the terrifying cost of false unity. When a boy miner and his mule become symbols of both innocence and sacrifice, their bond reveals that the fight for humanity’s soul can echo as loudly as any war.
Tone & Style:
Visually restrained yet emotionally rich, the film fuses historical realism with supernatural dread—Ryan Coogler’s Sinners meets Robert Eggers’ slow-burn horror. The Appalachian setting becomes a character itself: fog, coal dust, and hymns blending into something both sacred and cursed.