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Reviews
Nefarious (2023)
Exceptional Performance, but suffers because of a lack of faith in itself.
Sean Patrick Flannery is worth the price of admission alone. Had his opposite for most of the movie been as strong this would have been a breakout hit for both of them. Sadly, everyone else in the movie is mediocre to barely passable and it really, really drags the movie down.
That being said, it is worth the time just to watch Flannery work. This is a format that's been done before, but it's been done because when done well it works.
The addition of Glenn Beck to the end of the movie is really unfortunate. Up until that point the movie just works and, despite the dragging down by his co-stars, Sean Patrick Flannery shines.
Glenn Beck, with all the baggage he brings, says to the audience with a massive PA System: IT'S CHRISTIAN! GET IT? IT'S ABOUT HOW CHRISTIANS ARE RIGHT! WE GOT YOU TO WATCH!!"
Sadly, the movie had made a stellar case about the insidious nature of evil and how sanctimonious morality, in the person of the doctor interviewing him, is ultimately self defeating. It was a solid message and it worked. And then they blew it.
I'm not letting him drag the whole movie down because before he shows up it's a solid piece of work.
Actually it kind of proves its own message, in a strange way. It had a choice. It could have trusted in the strength of its message and its actor, but instead, because it didn't have faith in itself and put a sophomoric and banal message about the power of Christianity it in huge neon lights, and it suffered because of it.
Good film. Could have been much better.
Qodrat (2022)
Solid Exorcism Movie. If you like that, you'll probably like this.
Hi. I'm Chris, and I'm an old white dude that likes horror movies.
I caught this on a whim on Amazon and was pleasantly surprised. There's a fair amount going on here. Moral quandary, the clergy and power, all done in a very space yet entertaining. The jump scares are reasonably well done, there's some solid CGI and the addition of martial arts that comes here and there a bit out of nowhere was, to be honest, kinda cool. Not second rate stuff, either.
I've seen some remarks about accuracy to the Islamic faith and - seriously? It's an exorcism movie. As a theologian I'd love to sit down with you and your favourite Christian exorcism movie and I'll have some notes. You will have to wait for me to stop laughing, however.
It gives a stark, grim, taut view of the path of an exorcist and the corruption of faith. If you like horror flicks and possession movies in particular I can safely recommend this really interesting example of Indonesian Horror films.
Don't Say Its Name (2021)
Well executed with a fresh perspective and interesting characters- Well worth a watch.
When I watch any film, but particularly my favoured genre I ask a few questions. Did they love what they did, did they treat the audience with respect, and how did the do with what they have.
I was extremely impressed with Don't Say Its Name.
You can tell they had a passion for the story they told, which is both Indigenous, and Universal. The freshness and realness of the people who were real people and not just caricatures comes through for the whole thing. For those of us who are descended from colonizers, this story may very well provoke a reaction. That's another piece of an extremely well crafted puzzle.
They respected me and my time as the audience. The scares, while not intense, were earned and not cheap. I am really used to being treated like an idiot by a large section of the horror genre, and it was really nice to be able to watch something that wanted me to pay attention to the people and the ideas in the story.
They did a tremendous amount with what they had. They alternated between CGI and practical effects with a deft hand for, despite Telefilm and SuperChannel funding was not a huge budget film. They made the story work for them, and there were large parts of the movie where I actually lost track of the time, and that's really rare in horror films these days, especially when you're watching on TV Streaming services with all your devices around asking for attention.
While it's true that at it's heart it's not a blazingly original idea there are few of those left, and they took a classic story and made it their own.
I was really impressed - this is well worth your time.
Portal (2019)
Not bad - took the trope to interesting places
Hi. I'm a fan of both horror films, and the found footage/mockumentary format, and my reviews reflect that.
This wasn't as bad as some reviewers suggest. Lets just assume this isn't up for the Oscars and move on from there.
The two leads were relatively strong, particularly Jamie Tisdale. For the first half it was pretty much all on them and they did pretty well with it. Myk Watford brought some Cajun fresh air to the show.
The script was nothing blazingly original for fans of the genre, still it put its own twist on it and that's admirable.
It was nice to see Heather Langenkamp, most notably from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies, and that's where the film really finds it's footing and it's pace.
As always with these, if you're looking for something of the level of "Get Out" then you'll leave the film wanting. However, if you've enjoyed films like Hell House LLC, or Savageland then you'll probably find enough in this movie to keep entertained and engaged, even though the quality doesn't necessarily rise to the level of those films.
On the whole, there were enough interesting hooks and character business to keep my attention and entertain me for the runtime of the film.
The Mothman Tapes (2022)
Low budget, but with skill other films with 7 figure budgets would do well to have.
I appreciate film makers who do a lot with a little. With a budget under $10,000 there was some craft here that million dollar films would have done well to have.
Nothing here will blow your mind, but it's not trying to. It's a well worn but well tested formula that's done well.
The lead has just enough charisma to pull off the 'annoying you-tuber/wannna-be actor' without actually being extremely annoying. That's a tough balance, and he does it suprisingly well. No one in the small cast is asked to deliver stuff they can't.
Likewise with the creature effects - they are simple but done well and they aren't afraid to lean into it. Others might have made the choice to have lots more jittery camera movement to cover up the lack of CG power behind the creature. That would have been the wrong move in this case, and I'm glad they stuck with their vision.
I do enjoy the format, and this was a really solid outing, - an hour and a half I feel like I got something out of it.
If you like the mockumentary/found footage format or just want something that will pass 90 minutes enjoyably this is worth your time. Indie horror folks, likewise.
Leaving D.C. (2012)
In search of an ending
I tend to focus on Found Footage horror movies quite a bit. I enjoy them, by and large, and look forward to seeing what each story can bring to the genre.
The lead actor was earnest, but awkward. In one part I completely agreed with the other character, and yet I don't feel that was the intent of the scene.
Minimalist is good, and the film accomplishes some good creep with a bare minimum of FX or quick cuts, and I respect that.
Having said that, I felt that at the end things were left incomplete and while that can be an effective way to end/not end the story, I felt the story was unsatisfying. The back story had far more room to work than it was given a chance to. At the end I felt I'd had a 'non-experience'.
I do appreciate amateur filmmakers. I just feel that more could have been done with a good location and a non-standard lead character.
The Dark (2018)
If you like breadth in horror , you'll like this.
Not the typical horror film you might expect from the synopsis. It's a slow, measured story that won't be rushed but the payoff is worth it. This isn't a typical undead/revenge horror. I'd recommend it if you like variety in your horror films. The two main actors are solid and the writing is atmospheric and won't jam your face into the themes. It even has a few things to say about vengeance and redemption. Well worth a watch.