by Mark Lakatos

Take 2 Indie Review

Nestled in the East North Central region of the U.S., the township of Piketon has almost seen it all – while by their own admission not being seen all that much themselves. It’s a place that keeps to itself, and as a result of that status, it struggles to let go of what it was. Maintaining that somewhat melancholic sentiment, Director Laura Paglin’s documentary This is Pike County is a hauntingly authentic look at life on the fringes of what many consider true Americana.

The documentary unravels organically, focusing on life in Piketon on a spectrum—the good, the bad, and the in-between. Drugs, suicide, religion, tradition, and togetherness birthed from neglect and trauma—it’s all there, and many share testimonials of their lives lived exclusively in the area. We get to see the remembrance honoring the so-called Cold War Veterans, only to discover that their existence is linked to the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which was a key uranium enrichment facility during the arms race with the Soviet Union. more …

Film Review by Don Iannone

Letterboxd

This Is Pike County, directed by Laura Paglin and produced with Thomas Lennon, was shown at the 16th Annual Chagrin Documentary Film Festival in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, where it stood out as a haunting and deeply human portrait of contemporary rural America.

In This Is Pike County, Paglin, who resides in nearby Cleveland Heights, turns her lens toward a corner of America that much of the nation has forgotten yet continues to define its conscience. Set in Pike County, Ohio, a rural Appalachian community marked by both pride and pain, the film begins with the 2016 murders of eight members of the Rhoden family. This tragedy once captured national headlines. But rather than sensationalize the crime or mine it for drama, Paglin does something far more profound: she listens. Out of silence, she draws a portrait of endurance and identity in a place where both are under siege. more …

by Stephanie Haney October 6, 2025

WKSU Sound of Ideas

In 2016, the mass murder of eight members of the Rhoden family in Pike County caught national attention. It also got the attention of Northeast Ohio documentarian Laura Paglin, who made her way to the city of Piketon in 2017 to try to capture the story of what happened in those killings.

She spent two years getting to know the members of that community. While the murder has since been solved, Laura uncovered a bigger picture of the challenges facing what she calls a forgotten corner of Ohio. watch interview

KSUB, Cedar City

Cedar City is once again center stage in the world of independent cinema as the Red Rock Film Festival returned on Wednesday September 24th and runs through Saturday, September 27th. Now in its 19th year, the festival will be held at Frontier Homestead State Park, bringing filmmakers and movie lovers together for four days of screenings, panels, and special events.

Matt Marxteyn of the Red Rock Festival joined us on the Big Picture Morning Show and gave a bit of history of the festival. “It started in St. George. We would have an opening night in St. George, and the we began actually in Springdale. We began as a film series…in 2004.In 2007 we made it a film festival, and it’s been going ever since,” Marxteyn said. He said the festival features international films along with academy award winning features.

…

Laura Paglin has had work shown on HBO and PBS. Her entry in the Red Rock Film Festival is This is Pike County, which Paglin says is, “a documentary about a close knit rural community that among many of the problems plagued by rural communities is also suffering from the grief of an unsolved mass family murder.” listen to interview

The Independent

The Red Rock Film Festival returns to Cedar City September 24–27, filling Frontier Homestead State Park with premieres, documentaries, shorts, and animation from around the world. With flexible passes and affordable ticket options, cinephiles can dive into multiple genres and discover new voices in filmmaking.

Premieres and Documentaries

Headlining the festival is the world premiere of This is Pike County (USA), a powerful documentary about a rural community rocked by an unsolved murder. Additional documentaries include Blue Zeus (USA), an investigation into corruption in the wild horse program; Goddess of Slide (Canada), the story of pioneering slide guitarist Ellen McIlwaine; and The Chaplain & The Doctor (USA), about the connection between a chaplain and trauma physician in Oakland …