I really wasn't sure what to expect when I received UNDER THE RAVEN'S WING (2007) written, directed, and edited by SUSAN ADRIENSEN (yes, Sno Cakes from Alan Rowe Kelly's THE BLOOD SHED). This film stars three relatively unknown actresses Kimberly Amato, Kamilla Sofie Sadekova and Jessica Palette. Jessica Palette recently competed in the horrid VH1 reality show SCREAM QUEENS.
The movie is a mockumentary in the vein of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT or THE LAST BROADCAST. It's the story of a filmmaker (Coy DeLuca) who is documenting the lives of Raven (Amato), Angel (Sadevoka), and Jessie (Palette) who have recently committed murder or as they call it "giving the gift of transcendence." Raven, as the cult leader, has complete control of Angel and Jessie. Jessie is very needy and searching for the ultimate acceptance that has obviously evaded her. Each of the three actresses perform their roles so beautifully and convincingly that one almost believes this to be a true documentary. Coy as the director and photographer of this documentary shoots this film in a POV that is convincing in every scene.
The story is psychological and deep. This film does not require gore or any cheap scares as the story and the performances of Amato, Sadevoka, and Palette truly held me enthralled. Most who know me can attest to the fact that I like my horror bloody, violent, and fast -- none of which describe this film. Yet, I truly enjoyed this film.
I so loved Susan Adriensen's performance as the silly, slightly insane, and playful Sno Cakes that I wasn't quite sure her departure from actress to writer, director, and cinematographer of a story as serious as this would work. However, Susan proves herself to be a swiss army knife and versatile as hell by making this movie.
The film is beautiful technically. The lighting is perfect, every shot is framed perfectly even when shaking and bouncing as one would expect a documentary to do. Yes, the story has its twists and the twists are not cheaply written for the sake of twisting the plot to make it seem more intelligent.
This is intelligent horror/drama. The reviews on this film have all been positive as they should be. In closing, I'll say that if Jessica Palette had demonstrated the abilities as an actress in the horrid Scream Queen reality show, she would be starring in a short vignette in the upcoming Saw VI. Perhaps its for the best, as she has far more talent than any of the other girls on Scream Queens and deserves better roles than anything the Saw VI franchise has to offer.
As soon as this film finds distribution I recommend you buy it and settle in for a true gem in the world of independent film.
