The Only Ones // A Chattanooga Film Fest 2025 Review

The Only Ones begins and ends with lots of bloodshed, and I’m here to tell you I’m all for it. Written and directed by Jordan Miller, The Only Ones has found a way to bring on the practical effects of so much death into a blood-friendly flick without offending or becoming overly saturated with comical nonsense. Instead, what we get is a bloody good time with a love story thrown in. 

Friends and Foes

The movie centers around a group of friends headed out to the sticks to settle the estate of a friend’s uncle. Nicky’s (Paul Cottman) uncle lived in a huge house that sits on an enormous plot of land. Along with this, it wouldn’t be a horror flick if we didn’t add more fun horror elements, such as no cell phone signal and two squatters in the home when they initially arrive. The squatters, though, are really just a married couple who camped out for the night in the house. Consequently, they aren’t too happy to be found.

Now we have a gun in the picture, thanks to a friend, Jude (Jeb Aufiero). And Valarie (Emily Classen), is that a knife in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? Mr. Miller, what are you doing to me when you write these movies? Weapons and pissed off strangers? So many implements of death to choose from! 

All jokes aside, though, The Only Ones is set up perfectly to both distract and entertain with a story that never lets up. While there are moments where we get to catch our breath, Miller perfectly weaves in the storytelling. We get to meet Casey (Cayla Berejikian), who has chosen her boyfriend, Zach (Zach Ruchkin), as the focus of her documentary. She always has her camera out. Luckily, we are spared any type of found footage flair throughout the film. It’s simply a piece of her story. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love a good found footage flick. This just ain’t it.

Let’s Panic

We are also introduced to a couple, Sarah (Tatiana Nya Ford) and Valarie. Now I’m going to stop here for a minute. I absolutely adored them. I felt that both Ford and Classen did a beautiful job portraying not just a lesbian couple but a couple under tremendous amounts of stress. Nothing felt forced. Sometimes, horror movies get a bad rap for not being taken seriously or for having subpar acting. These two actors beautifully portrayed two women in love. They did so both in intimate moments and under unusual circumstances. I wanted to crawl into the screen and shield them from all the madness of the movie. 

Speaking of madness, there is a lot of it. After someone in the friend group goes missing and the squatter/camper/husband from the beginning of the movie shows up…well, trouble ensues. A weekend of bloody violence visits our friends in the woods. Paranoia is the trigger, and terror and panic force the group to make some choices. What we’re left with at the end is a mighty fine mess. 

A Bloody Good Time

The Only Ones doesn’t skimp when it comes to the red stuff or the gore. Violence is definitely the name of the game here. But we also get some good storytelling for our characters. While not everyone is a fully formed character, and we miss out on Nicky’s story of spending his summers with his uncle, you still care about him. Whether their story makes you wish for the Grim Reaper or has you cheering for them, the story brought you there. That’s what The Only Ones managed to do so well. Miller found a way to get you to care about bloody horror, and that, my friend, is a bloody good time.

Come back for more from Chattanooga Film Festival 2025 and stay for even more Festival Frights from upcoming festivals.