Monster Summer (2024)

In the summer of 1997 on Martha's Vineyard, aspiring teenage journalist Noah and his friends Sammy, Eugene, and Ben are looking forward to a carefree vacation. Noah lives with his widowed mother, Abby, who runs a local bed-and-breakfast. The island's tranquility is shattered when local children begin to vanish mysteriously, only to reappear the next day in a silent, catatonic state. When Ben is attacked in the ocean and left entirely spiritless—with a young witness claiming a cackling witch pulled him under—Noah decides to take the investigation into his own hands.

Noah's primary suspect becomes Miss Halverson, a mysterious elderly woman dressed in black who recently moved into his mother's boarding house. Unable to get the local authorities or the town newspaper editor to take him seriously, Noah seeks the help of Gene Carruthers, a curmudgeonly, retired police detective. Gene lives in isolation after his own family fell apart following the tragic kidnapping of his son years ago. Initially dismissive of Noah's fairy-tale theories and insisting he only believes in "real monsters," Gene reluctantly agrees to look into the case.

As the duo sneaks through the island's foggy woods and gathers evidence, Gene slowly realizes that the supernatural threat is undeniably real. They discover the witch's lair, finding harrowing clues such as a collection of missing children's shoes and evidence that the witch is feeding off the kids to steal their youth and life force. Noah, his remaining friends, and Gene team up for a climactic showdown against the ancient evil witch. Together, they manage to outsmart and defeat the witch, breaking her spell, restoring the affected children to normal, and saving their town. Gene Carruthers visits his wife and reconciles with her.