The promo card for Zack Parker's "Quench."

When you're looking for something different, it's always fun to check out the work of Indiana-bred filmmakers. This is certainly true of "Quench," a horror-drama from filmmaker Zack Parker (who resides in Indiana).

The film centers on Derik (Bo Barrett), a young man taking a break from college after a personal tragedy. He stops in Richmond to visit Jason (Ben Schmitt), a childhood friend, only to find he's made some changes in his life; he's gone goth, and something just doesn't seem right.

Still, Derik bunks with Jason and his fiance Veronica (Samantha Eileen DeTerk), and finds out they're into some freaky stuff.

Turns out they're involved in some kind of vampiric cult, with bloodsucking group sex rituals.

Derik soon finds himself mixed up in the cult when Jason and Veronica introduce him to the seductive Gina (Mia Moretti).

You can probably guess that things take a turn for the worse.

The film was filmed on what I would say a shoestring budget, but it's probably more accurate to say it was filmed on a one-of-those-little-plastic-things-on-the-tip-of-a-shoestring budget. So don't expect Hollywood special effects or polish.

Parker certainly knows how to capture and manipulate Richmond on film, injecting a sense of dread into an otherwise non-descript small town. There are several excellent shots where he uses cloud cover as a disorienting, foreboding contrast to the night scenes, when the action starts.

Lighting is also used well, creating a surreal voyeuristic environment as Derik discovers exactly what his old friend is into.

The film isn't perfect, though, and Parker has plenty of room for improvement as a writer/filmmaker. I would like to have seen additional character development for Derik, and the film's ending is vague and a little unsatisfying.

But Parker makes an interesting statement on growing up and how, even as we change, so too do those around us, and though you can go home, sometimes it's best not to.

Parker shows some flashes of promise to come, making a creepy and atmospheric, if raw, film.