It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where The Cycle is going. What initially begins as a police procedural involving eerie and unexplainable events à la The X-Files takes a hard shift in the second half. I won’t spoil it for you here, though the marketing and posters make it pretty clear—so try to avoid those as best you can—and a few quick moments in the first half sort of give it away. That said, this is still a solidly entertaining little horror flick that features some of the best practical effects work of the year.

When the bodies of a mother and daughter are found brutally murdered in a remote fishing village, local Police officer Ian (Will Hochman) approaches renowned forensic anthropologist Megan Garland (Deborah Ann Woll) for assistance. Not only does he expect her ability to uncover the tiniest clues hidden within human remains to be helpful, but a third body was also found nearby, seemingly untouched though apparently deceased for some time, and via a DNA match confirmed to be her absent father.

Soon enough, additional victims begin appearing and each time the body of Meg’s dad appears at the scene, leaving the duo as well as Ian’s father Lieutenant Marks (Jeffrey Donovan) struggling to determine exactly what is happening. Who would keep transporting the corpse? How would they have access to it? And why do the victims all appear to have been attacked by an animal? They’ll need to find the answers to these questions quickly before the entire town winds up dead.

The cast do what they can with the material, but the script by Jordan Downey (also the director) and Kevin Stewart (also the cinematographer) is more than a little clunky, leaving the characters feeling somewhat “off”. Downey and Stewart prove far better in their other duties however, capably setting an ominous mood that permeates every scene and keeps the suspense high.

Like I said, the core mystery is telegraphed pretty early on and while there is at least one plot point that will surprise viewers, little else will. It winds up not mattering that much though, as the back half becomes one of the scariest films of its type in years, thanks largely to Patrick Magee’s stunning effects work. When the threat is fully revealed it is among the most genuinely frightening visions of it ever put on screen and features in some truly nightmarish scenes.

I understand why Downey and Stewart would be interested in executing a wild tonal shift to keep their audience off its toes, but it’s hard not to think the end result would have been better if they had abandoned it in favor of maximizing the effective mayhem instead. Regardless, you could do far worse for your Halloween viewing and you might even find yourself a little more on edge the next time you’re outside alone after dark. ★★★

Not Rated. Contains strong bloody violence, gore, graphic nudity, and some strong language.