Ogre

About the movie

In 1859, a Pennsylvanian village is being swept by a fatal epidemic. Some men push a suffering family into a cave with doors, locking them in and posting a quarantine sign. After the town magistrate dies, the town "mage", Sir Bartlett Henry (John Schneider), insists that he be made magistrate and allowed to solve the problem. His wife is already dead of the plague, and his beautiful daughter Hope (Andrew Wheeler) is now showing symptoms. Several of the men agree, but Franklin (Andrew Wheeler) is opposed to the idea. Swayed by the desperate urgings of the others, he reluctantly consents. Bartlett darkly warns them that there will be a price for the cure, and that they must be willing to pay it, no matter what it is.In the modern day, four teens are hiking through the woods. Excitable Terry (Kyle Labine) has a map showing the purported location of a mysteriously vanished town. He trips and breaks his ankle, but carrying him back out of the woods would be too difficult. Mike (Ryan Kennedy) suggests that he and Jessica (Katharine Isabelle) go onward to seek help, while Terry and Leah (Kimberley Warnat) set up camp. Leah is unhappy with the situation, and Terry spots a shelter ... the doors that were locked over a century ago. He breaks open the door, releasing a huge misshapen ogre. It jumps out of the cave and kills Terry and Leah.Mike and Jessica find that the road is blocked by a "No Trespassing" sign, but decide to ignore it and continue onward. They hear a bell ringing, and are surprised to find that a town really exists in this remote area. They peep into a building and see a town meeting taking place, led by Bartlett. He retells the history of the town's recovery: the plague was cured, but as part of the spell the evil of the disease was reborn as an ogre. The cost of the spell is that a human must be sacrificed to the ogre each year.Bartlett holds up a staff with a large orb at the top. Light flashes from it, and a direct beam falls on Stephen Chandler (Brendan Fletcher). Hope screams. Stephen will be the next sacrifice.Each year, more people have become concerned about the pact with the ogre. No children are being born, so the population has dwindled from hundreds to dozens. There are rumors that Bartlett cast the spell for his own goals, not to save everyone. It is apparent that time has stopped in the town, and no-one has aged since the 1800's. They are immortal, but the required sacrifice makes it hellish, as they lose more loved ones over the years.Mike and Jessica are discovered and roughly thrown in jail, along with Stephen. He explains seriously that they are in grave danger.They learn that there is an invisible barrier around the town and none of the residents can leave without dying.Hope finds out that the magic selection of the victim is not coincidence, but actually fixed by her father. She confronts him, and realizes that the rumors about his motives are true. She and others become determined to end the situation. Hope realizes that she may die, but believes that it must be done.Mike and Jessica eventually escape and report their findings to a local sheriff, who laughs in their faces. They steal a police car and drive back to the village to help kill the ogre.The ogre kills Bartlett.In a final battle, the ogre is killed, releasing the remaining townspeople from the pact made so long ago. They disappear in a glowing light, passing on to the afterlife, finally free.With help from user comments by Steve W Scott, slayrrr666, and JoeB131