Strangeland

Strangeland follows Det. Mike Gage, a policeman in a small town where teenagers have begun disappearing after meeting strangers online. Two friends, Genevieve and Tiana, chat with a figure calling himself Captain Howdy, who presents himself as an ordinary young man and invites them to a party. When Genevieve, the detective's daughter, does not come home, the investigation turns toward a pierced and tattooed sadist who selects his victims through internet chat rooms. He captures and tortures young people, and the case becomes personal for Gage once his own daughter is taken. After Howdy is caught and committed to a psychiatric institution, he is released apparently cured, leaving Gage convinced that another attack is coming.

The film was directed by John Pieplow from a screenplay by Dee Snider, who also produced it; it was Snider's first feature as a screenwriter. The cast includes Kevin Gage as Mike Gage, Elizabeth Peña as Toni Gage, Linda Cardellini as Genevieve, Brett Harrelson, Tucker Smallwood and Robert Englund. Made for about one million dollars, it is a low-budget horror production. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.1 from roughly 8,400 votes, and on TMDB 5 out of 10 from about 150 votes. The critics' rating stands at 2.9 out of 10 from 15 reviews, well below the audience scores, indicating that reviewers were considerably harsher than viewers.