Rust Creek is a 2019 thriller directed by Jen McGowan. It stars Hermione Corfield as a Kentucky college student who runs afoul of some Hillbilly Horrors.
Provides examples of:
- Catchphrase: Sheriff O'Doyle likes to put people in their place by pointing to himself and saying "Chief," and then pointing to the person he's talking to and saying, "Indian." This is how Sawyer recognizes him.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- The weeding fork that Sawyer steals from Lowell gets used in the final act.
- The thermos of anhydrous ammonia becomes critical in the third act.
- Chekhov's Skill: Sawyer is introduced running on a track. She later sprints away from villains several times.
- Color Motif: Red. Both Sawyer and Lowell have red hair. Sawyer's stranded SUV is red. It's autumn, and the leaves in the forest are all red. Sawyer gets stranded at the eponymous Rust Creek, named after its red clay deposits. Sawyer helps Lowell dispose of red waste water, which he says would stain his whole yard red if he tossed it on the ground. And, of course, red is the color of blood.
- Dirty Cop: Sheriff O'Doyle is the local crime lord.
- Don't Go in the Woods: Sawyer's first mistake was taking a detour down some rural roads through the woods. She ends up stranded in miles of wilderness.
- Heel–Face Turn: Lowell keeps Sawyer imprisoned at first, implying that he's going to abuse her. However, it turns out that he's got her best interest at heart and becomes her ally against the other meth dealers.
- Hillbilly Horrors: The villains are corrupt and predatory hicks.
- Police Are Useless: Sheriff O'Doyle's police work is remarkably ineffectual in his opening scenes. It later turns out that he's the local crime lord, so he had an ulterior motive to avoid investigating the matter fully.
- Tomboyish Name: "Sawyer" is not something that immediately evokes femininity. She proves to be quite tough when in a fight.
