Jeff Manney

Jeff Manney, the dude behind The Caretaker (2020) and Leaving D.C. (2012), definitely has a knack for the offbeat and unsettling. Leaving D.C. is one of those lo-fi, found-footage indie thrillers that just creeps up on you. The plot? Pretty simple at first glance: a city guy named Mark (played by Manney himself, gotta love a one-man show) ditches the chaos of D.C. for an isolated house in the woods. He’s hoping for some peace and quiet, fresh air, maybe a little break from people, but—of course—it never works out that way. He starts recording video diaries for his friends back home, but things start getting...weird. Like, doors slamming, weird noises in the woods, stuff that’d have most of us running back to the city in about five minutes. The tension builds super slow, and honestly, it’s the kind of movie that messes with your head more than your heart rate. No big-budget effects, just one guy slowly unraveling as strange events keep piling up. The Caretaker, on the other hand, leans more into psychological horror territory, messing with ideas about trust, memory, and who you can really rely on when things go sideways. Both films aren’t your average jump-scare factory—they’re more about unease, that skin-crawling feeling when you realize you’re totally alone and maybe not as safe as you thought. Manney’s work is low-key, but it definitely leaves a mark if you’re into that creeping dread vibe.