Released in 2019, The Deeper You Dig tells the story of three people who live in one of those rural states where it never seems to stop snowing.

Kurt (John Adams) is a recluse who lives in a farmhouse and who goes out of his way to avoid contact with the outside world.  It only takes a minute or two of watching him to pick up on the fact that he’s haunted by something that happened in his past and now, he wants to spend his life separated from the rest of the world, except for when he goes out to the local bar.

Living nearby is Ivy (Toby Poser), who was once a legitimate psychic but who now makes her living by doing fake Tarot card readings.  Residing with Ivy is her 14 year-old daughter, Echo (Zelda Adams).  Echo, as one might expect from someone who grew up in less than conventional surroundings, is a bit of a proud eccentric.  She wears black lipstick, she listens to old music, and she enjoys hunting and sledding through the constantly falling snow.  Echo, to be honest, is extremely cool.  When I was 14, I probably would have wanted to hang out with Echo.

Unfortunately, being the coolest girl in town does not always protect you from bad things happening.  (I’ve been the coolest girl in multiple towns so I definitely know what I’m talking about here.)  One night, after he’s gone out to the local bar and had a bit too much to drink, Kurt swerves his car to avoid running over a deer.  The deer survives but, unfortunately, Kurt runs over Echo!  The panicked Kurt decides to bury Echo on his property.

Soon, Kurt is gripped by paranoia.  Despite the fact that he’s buried her, Echo keeps appearing to him and reminding him that he killed her and that she’s going to get her revenge.  He keeps hearing the old music that Echo liked.  Kurt’s attempt to move the body around doesn’t do anything to help the situation.  In fact, if anything, it makes thing worse.  Meanwhile, Ivy is searching for daughter….

The Deeper You Dig takes a few unexpected turns, as Echo goes from simply haunting Kurt to literally starting to possess him and one of the more interesting things about this film is watching the taciturn and middle-aged Kurt start to act like an angry 14 year-old girl.  Playing out in a no-nonsense and no frills style, the film does a good job of keeping you guessing as to whether or not John is truly seeing and being possessed by Echo or if his own guilt is pushing him over the edge.

As you can probably guess by the number of people involved with the last name of Adams, The Deeper You Dig is a family affair.  John Adams and Toby Poser are married and Zelda Adams is their daughter.  (Another daughter who regularly appears in their films was away at college when Deeper You Dig was filmed.)  All three of them collaborated on the film’s direction and the end result is a rather chilly ghost story that plays out at its own deliberate pace but which definitely sticks with you after it ends.