I didn't know what to think about this before I threw it on. Directed by Victori Garcia (the man who helmed my hands-down least favourite horror film of all time Hellraiser : Revalations), this appears to be the first film that allowed him full creative control. Prior to this movie, he was the director of Mirrors 2, Return To House On Haunted Hill, 30 Days Of Night : Blood Trails, and of course the worst movie ever
however, based on the jump in quality with this one, I have a feeling he felt considerably more free, and wasn't just after the work. Another surprise was the writer, Richard D'Ovidio, who previously penned Thir13en Ghosts, and The Call. All around, based on the previous work of both of these guys, this might have been one I avoided. I can honestly say, I'm glad that I didn't.
The movie begins with some pretty flat seeming characters, and felt quite generic. That being said, the style actually seemed to change pretty drastically and became quite cool and atmospheric. The effects are minimal, and effective, and the actors seemed to get their sh*t together part way through the movie. The young girl who plays the 'ancient evil' is pretty effective and creepy, though her performance is pretty short lived once the the demon starts to switch bodies. The story moves along at a pretty good clip, and delivers on some pretty good tension all the way through, it does have fall a little bit flat from time to time, but not enough to kill the movie or stop it dead.
I will say this, the story comes off a little bit heavy handed with the occasional voice over about secrets, and the fact that all of these characters are also tortured souls with deep dark secrets to be exploited. As a result, there are some moments that get a little bit eye-rolly, but overall it's actually pretty effective and does make a reasonable (albeit heavy handed) point about people's secrets coming back to haunt you.
All that said, the movie is occasionally frightening, grim, and even becomes quite bleak and heavy near the end. It's also not a movie that forces a happy ending, and the ending feels natural without sequel baiting. That really was a breath of fresh air to have a movie end in a bit of a non-traditional, and down-note like this one did.
So, all in all, this is a fun movie, that delivers a pretty satisfying level of scares throughout. It might not make anyone's top-10 of all time list, but it really is one of the better horror films I've seen this year. Go ahead and give it a watch, you could certainly do worse! Also, never, ever, ever watch Hellrasier: Revelations.
Final Grade : B-
(CHECK OUT MORE REVIEWS AT ACANADIANHORRORSTORY.COM)
The movie begins with some pretty flat seeming characters, and felt quite generic. That being said, the style actually seemed to change pretty drastically and became quite cool and atmospheric. The effects are minimal, and effective, and the actors seemed to get their sh*t together part way through the movie. The young girl who plays the 'ancient evil' is pretty effective and creepy, though her performance is pretty short lived once the the demon starts to switch bodies. The story moves along at a pretty good clip, and delivers on some pretty good tension all the way through, it does have fall a little bit flat from time to time, but not enough to kill the movie or stop it dead.
I will say this, the story comes off a little bit heavy handed with the occasional voice over about secrets, and the fact that all of these characters are also tortured souls with deep dark secrets to be exploited. As a result, there are some moments that get a little bit eye-rolly, but overall it's actually pretty effective and does make a reasonable (albeit heavy handed) point about people's secrets coming back to haunt you.
All that said, the movie is occasionally frightening, grim, and even becomes quite bleak and heavy near the end. It's also not a movie that forces a happy ending, and the ending feels natural without sequel baiting. That really was a breath of fresh air to have a movie end in a bit of a non-traditional, and down-note like this one did.
So, all in all, this is a fun movie, that delivers a pretty satisfying level of scares throughout. It might not make anyone's top-10 of all time list, but it really is one of the better horror films I've seen this year. Go ahead and give it a watch, you could certainly do worse! Also, never, ever, ever watch Hellrasier: Revelations.
Final Grade : B-
(CHECK OUT MORE REVIEWS AT ACANADIANHORRORSTORY.COM)