A supernatural horror film inspired by one of America’s oldest unsolved mysteries hits theaters today.

“The Town That Takes” opens in select theaters across the top 20 North American markets, distributed by Atlas Distribution Company. The film takes the disappearance of the Lost Colony of Roanoke and the cryptic word “CROATOAN” carved into a tree and spins it into a Southern Gothic thriller.

The story follows Dean Richardson, an Army veteran trying to reconnect with his twelve-year-old son Wyatt after his ex-wife’s death. Their road trip turns dark when they stop in a remote town where locals whisper about CROATOAN. After a brutal murder and Wyatt’s sudden disappearance, Dean teams up with two detectives to uncover what’s really happening.

Director Britt Bankhead, who co-wrote the script with Jon Blaze, leads a Texas-based team. The cast includes Miles Mussenden (Doom Patrol), Mike Markoff (Hit Man), Grace Patterson (Slotherhouse), and Bankhead himself.

Atlas Distribution Company president Harmon Kaslow called it “genuinely frightening” and the kind of film that belongs on the big screen.

For indie horror filmmakers, this is a solid example of taking public domain history and building something fresh around it. No IP purchase necessary, just a good story rooted in American folklore.