A long-standing conflict exists within the Pine Barrens, accompanied by…the Jersey Devil. A year has passed since a teenager (Madison Ekstrand) disappeared while exploring the remote areas of southern New Jersey. Her cousin and boyfriend, both college students studying journalism (Sasha Anne and Evan Adams), enlist a local guide (Anthony Jensen) to search for her and uncover what really happened. However, persistent stories suggest that the infamous Jersey Devil inhabits this region. “Reed’s Point” (2022) is an independently made film with a small budget focusing on the frightening creature, but it benefited from more funding than “Leeds Point,” another similar movie created 14 years ago for just $5000. The plot here is more engaging than that of "Carny," another Jersey Devil movie from 2009 starring Lou Diamond Phillips, although the performances aren’t as strong. I've only seen one other film about the Jersey Devil, “Dark Haul” from 2014, which offers a unique perspective on the legend and is quite entertaining in comparison. Leeds Point, New Jersey, sits just 13.2 miles north of Atlantic City, and that’s where the story of this creature began. So why isn't the movie titled “Leeds Point”? Because there’s already a very low-budget independent film with that name, and also because the events in this film occur deeper within the Pine Barrens—a wilder area—rather than in the unincorporated town of Leeds Point. It seems the filmmakers wanted a title that evoked Leeds Point, which is why they chose “Reed’s Point.” Madison Ekstrand, with her red hair, stands out as a positive element, and the script itself holds some interest. However, the film drags during its middle section, and the acting is merely adequate—though I've certainly seen worse. The biggest misstep comes from extending the runtime unnecessarily at the very end. It really should have concluded after a particular discovery; sometimes less is more. As it stands, the final scene in the police car is so nonsensical and unbelievable that it almost destroys what was otherwise a decent, low-budget creature feature. The film’s running time is 1 hour, 17 minutes, and filming took place primarily in Los Angeles, with some additional work completed in New Jersey. GRADE: C/C-

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