The Damned (2013 film)

The Damned, also known as Gallows Hill, is a 2013 American horror film directed by Víctor García. The film stars Peter Facinelli, Sophia Myles, Nathalia Ramos, and Carolina Guerra. The film features a family and group of friends stranded in a storm and looking to seek refuge in a house with an ancient evil presence. The film was produced by Peter Block, Andrea Chung, and David Higgins, and is a joint Colombian and American production. The film had its world premiere at the Sitges Film Festival on October 17, 2014. and was released on video on demand on July 25, 2014, before a limited release on August 29, 2014, by IFC Midnight.

American photographer David Reynolds and his British fiancee Lauren go to Colombia to persuade David's teenage daughter, Jill, to return to America so she can attend their wedding. They find her with David's former sister-in-law, Gina, a television reporter, and Gina's cameraman Ramón, whom Jill is dating. Annoyed that her father intends to get married after the death of her mother Marcela, Jill refuses to attend the wedding. After David insists that she can not stay in Colombia, she replies that she has left her passport in a nearby city. Jill invites Ramón to come along with them to retrieve her passport, much to David's annoyance.

On the way, they encounter Captain Morales, who warns them to turn back, as the roads ahead have become flooded. After he leaves, Gina brushes off his concerns and advises them to continue, as she knows the roads well. Once in the storm, however, they become lost and lose control of the car. A wave pushes the car off the road, and, amid other minor injuries, Lauren breaks two of her ribs in the resulting accident. Leaving the car, they encounter a remote inn whose owner, Felipe, tells them it is closed and to seek help in town. Their injuries convince him to let them in, but he warns them to not leave the lobby.

David and Felipe go outside to get firewood. As Jill and Ramón wander around the inn to find a bathroom, Jill hears a girl calling out for help in Spanish. They hide when they hear Felipe return and see him check a basement door before the others mollify him. When Jill and Ramón check the basement, they find Ana Maria, Felipe's daughter, locked in a box. Felipe angrily confronts them with a rifle, but David saves him by knocking out Felipe. David lets Ana Maria out of the box and ties up Felipe. Ana Maria does not speak much, and, when Felipe regains consciousness, he only tells them that they will all die. They gag him and look for a working car or phone, to no avail.