A routine traffic stop takes a sinister turn when two black men encounter a small-town cop on a power trip.

This powerful short film wrings nearly unbearable tension from the simplest of setups: a car, its three occupants, and the two police officers who pull them over in the dead of night with what becomes increasingly clear are not the best intentions.

The 12-minute short premiered at Dam Short Film Festival, where it was awarded Best Horror. After 20 more festival screenings – including SXSW – and four more awards – including Best Narrative Short: Suspense at the Baltimore International Black Film Festival – the movie was selected for distribution by prestigious YouTube channel Omeleto, who write in their description:

“Heavy with inky-dark shadows pierced by harsh invasive lights, the story is shot with an eye to the ominous and unpredictable. In many ways, it resembles a horror movie — only the real-life phantom is the threat of potential police retaliation and brutality that hangs over so many incidents like this across the country. And as the fear and dread heighten — an arc so deftly captured by the precise, specific performances of the excellent cast — it takes just one careless comment to unleash the specter of potential retaliation. As the passengers navigate the interrogation and the police officer tightens his focus, the situation escalates into a potential powder keg, threatening to detonate with just one small wrong move.”

Featuring Camron Jones (Amazon’s Panic), Jessica Perrin (Fear The Walking Dead), Chris Boykin (Boss), and a truly terrifying performance by Paul Hickert (The Blacklist, Law & Order: SVU) as Officer Stone, the short was executive produced by Jeffrey Reddick, creator of the $655M-grossing Final Destination series, who is also attached to produce a feature version, currently in development.