The Appearing (2014) User Reviews

Don't expect anything extraordinary to appear here...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 15 April 2014]

While there are far better and worse possession movies out there, then "The Appearing" really didn't bring anything new to the genre, nor did it manage to differentiate itself from many other movies in the genre.

The storyline was easy to follow, perhaps a bit too simple at times, but it was weighed down by the fact that the movie never really got up into gear and left its mediocre pace in its wake.

The acting in the movie was wooden at best, and there weren't really any particular performances that stood out in any way. There was an shadow cast over the entire movie, from what appeared to be a fact that people weren't really putting their souls and wholeheartedly efforts into this movie.

The effects were actually adequate, as were the storyline of the movie. Well, don't go and expect multi-million dollar effects here though, but the effects were used to good extend and did their jobs well enough.

If it was deliberate that there were absolutely no chemistry between Rachel (played by Emily Brooks) and Michael (played by Will Wallace), then director Daric Gates did a good job, because there were absolutely no on-screen chemistry between these two at all. It does put a notion into the mind though; was it because the characters were growing apart and becoming estranged because of the death of their daughter, or if it was because of the lack of talent of the actors, well...

For a horror / thriller movie, then "The Appearing" was frightfully devoid of anything even remotely scary or shocking.

Is Acting Really That Hard?

[Arfpint · 4/10 · 27 October 2014]

There's something to be said about how bad a film is, when the first ten minutes pass and you're wondering more about how it got made than the plot itself.

The acting is bizarre. It reminds me of drama classes in high school, where a prompt to "look happy" means smiling maniacally whilst staring at a single point in the distance like a crazy person. Or the instruction to be the "stoner chick" ends up like the only knowledge the actress has of drugs is a "Just Say No!" education commercial.

An early scene sets the tone. A curious girl and some guy (...boyfriend? I honestly have no idea) wander into an abandoned, haunted house. The script has the girl stating at least 5 times how weird the place is, even though it actually doesn't resemble anything other than an old house with cobwebs. Seriously, it's not even dark in there.

Then we're introduced to a couple who have moved to the area following a "tragic event". Fair enough, but when we see the wife in the bathroom looking upset, music suddenly roars into life, completely obliterating the mood. Is it background music? Is it a CD the wife put on? Where the hell did it come from? And WHY IS IT SO LOUD?!

Still, I'm only fourteen minutes in.

The next scene shows the wife making breakfast and the husband doing his best not to act in any kind of realistic way, by stating that he can't share breakfast as he's late for work, but then weirdly taking absolutely ages to drink a glass of OJ and take two bites of toast. Sad wife (I think, she's got that weird look in her eyes again - and not because of her acting) looks at a photo of her daughter (ah, so that's the tragic event) and then runs out of the house, and then just appears in the middle of a country road with photo in hand. But this isn't lost time, or a fugue state. She's just...walking there.

I've got another hour and a quarter of this. Can't wait.

It appears i went to sleep while watching it

[tarakumari · 2/10 · 16 April 2014]

Omg do not waste your time watching this, I fell asleep by the end of the film, thinking this is never going to end. Movie is slow, Boring, no thrill, hardly any real suspense, and confuses a viewer more than anything else. The acting wasn't good, worse possession movie ever. The cinematography is nothing special to talk about. Its a lousy job from, Direction to Screenplay to even Background music. Being a horror fan i don't miss out on any horror movies. Don't be fooled by the IMDb rating. This movie IMO deserves not more than 2/10/. Sorry but i am a harsh judge of horror movies, because I Love horror. How did this movie ever get a 5.1 rating here, is beyond my comprehension. This is one movie horror fans can definitely do without.

better acting in my fish-tank

[alec-817-763002 · 1/10 · 13 April 2014]

Take all the actors out and replace them with ones who can act and use more than one or two facial expressions then possibly it could work. Oh and a corpse that doesn't breathe, although by far she was the better actress so that says a lot. Worst film I have seen in ages. Says I have to write ten lines before I can submit this review. ...I am not sure I can come up with anything more valuable to persuade you not to waste your time. If you do have a fish tank then perhaps buy some popcorn and settle down in front of it and enjoy an action packed fish frenzy of aquatic pleasure. It will be a far more valuable use of your time. Is that ten lines yet? I have put more effort and time into this than the whole film . Right.....off to sprinkle some fish flakes........

Wallace and Brooks are profound. The film really isn't.

[nitzanhavoc · 5/10 · 22 January 2015]

I'm a big fan of Horror dealing with haunting and exorcisms. The Appearing seemed like an average film from these sub-genres, but it definitely isn't, for better and for worse. After watching this, I've realized I'd find it easier if I tried hard enough to focus on the good things...

First of all, I was very happy seeing Dean Cain doing cinema! I really liked him in Lois and Clarke back in the day, and last time I've seen anything by him was his average role in Circle of Pain. So... Nice seeing you Dean!

Second, I absolutely loved the new interpretation of possession behaviour. It of course had some of the motives we've grown accustomed to from pretty much every exorcism film since The Exorcist, but it was mostly quite innovative in its own way. Less extreme over-acting, more mellow and tasteful insanity originating from something unknown. Speaking of insanity, the film did try to combine that factor in order to present some twists, but these were sadly not that impressive.

Finally, the best feature of this film is without a doubt newbie actress Emily Brooks. I have no idea why Dean Cain, who has 10% the camera time she has, appears as a main actor while she doesn't. She has performed almost perfectly both as a delusional woman and as a possessed one. I loved every minute of her, and sincerely hope to see her again in the Horror genre! Also, along with her acting, main actor Will Wallace (Braveheart, anyone?) whom I've never seen before demonstrated some exceptional, professional and wonderful acting.

Now for the rest... the plot was vague, unclear and needed better writing and editing (script lacked in particular). The acting by the rest of the cast was bluntly unimpressive. The way Exorcism films insist on staying fixed on Christianity is old and annoying and we were already tired with it a decade ago (please, I mean absolutely no disrespect towards Christians or Christianity, I'm simply saying demon possession and exorcisms can and should be additionally examined from one of the other angles available to writers and directors). In order to enjoy this film you really have to focus on the aforementioned light spots, and most viewers and raters aren't really going to. And I completely understand them.

Would I recommend this film? Only to a fellow devout Horror fan who would appreciate the good parts enough so as not to smack me across the head for making them tolerate the rest. As for others looking for a fun scary film? Nope, sorry. This film deserves a 2, but I'm mercifully rating 5 because the smart possession scenes and Wallace and Brooks' acting are easily worth 3 points in my opinion.

Lousy

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 29 February 2016]

Despite the intriguing title, THE APPEARING is nothing more than a cheap and lousy horror movie that screams derivative at every step. It starts out as a tragedy-from-the-past type movie, and before the end has turned into your usual demonic possession flick. At no point is it original or indeed valid as a decent horror film.

The characters are dull beyond with Will Wallace's lead being particularly stultifying. Former Superman actor Dean Cain shows up in support, while poor old Don Swayze - the late Patrick's brother - reminds us that he's nothing like his more famous sibling. Despite attempts by the filmmakers, the incidents portrayed in the film are rather tame, and the familiarity of the whole thing makes it tough to keep your attention on it.

1.5h never felt so long!

[Patient444 · 3/10 · 16 April 2014]

Your usual overused plot/bad acting/weak effects, second hand movie. Maybe the plot was smarter than normal, but those bad picked actors, horrible lines and the lookalike "The rite" ending managed to destroy it completely.

So here you have it, one hour and 30 minutes that felt like a small infinity because they threw more twist than you find in an Asian horror, they just wouldn't stop. Indeed maybe the creators of "The appearing" wanted to make something to stand above the rest of B horrors, but failed to. They got so lost in their own work, something I see happening more and more lately. The problem lays either in that extremely cheap camera work or a plot pulled out to its extremes!

So, either try "The exorcist", "The rite" or "The possession" just, sadly, not this one. Won't work even for a late night movie. It's bad...

Cheers!!

Bad plot, bad acting, bad everything

[dagmaraslijkerman · 1/10 · 15 August 2015]

One of the worst movies I have ever had displeasure to watch. The plot must have been written by someone under influence. Acting was anything but convincing. Characters were 1-dimensional. Even music sucked. Not worth watching at all. At first, I thought it was a parody perhaps but it wasn't. It was just "work" of a bunch of people who obviously had no idea what they were doing and decided one fine day to make this very poor excuse for a horror movie. What the whole movie reminded me the most of are the worst of the SyFy channel productions. Although those movies tend to have better costumes, decorations and special effects than this one. So... do not watch this at home or anywhere else. It's definitely not worth your time. You can recommend it to someone you really don't like, though.

Over the top acting (and not in a good way)

[lmt_is_me · 1/10 · 27 April 2014]

This movie was your typical horror movie but worse. Let's start off with the actors who were chosen for this movie. Are we to accept these people are actually high school students?

Next, let's talk about the music. Music is important to a movie. At times, the music made the dialogue hard to hear.

The scene at the hospital was just strange. If someone is out of it like that, they don't haul them off to the police. I know I am over- analyzing things but sheesh don't directors want people to buy into a movie? Why was the hospital so yellowish-green?

The wife in the movie goes from having normal looking eyes to eyes that have dark circles and back again. Why would that be? As one progresses into possession, I thought you would deteriorate. Guess I have seen to many possessed people.

ROCK ME ASMODEUS

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 2 October 2018]

Deputy Mike (Will Wallace) and his mousey wife Rachel (Emily Brooks) relocate to the small northern California town of Glenwood Bay following the tragic drowning of their daughter. Mike blames his wife who is currently off her meds. The town has a haunted house and now has a missing high school girl (Abigail Cooper) with a crazed boyfriend (Payton Wood) in custody. A small girl appears and people have hallucinations and appear possessed, etc. etc.

This is a faith based film, which I admit have come a long way from a modern Jesus in a restaurant. What they haven't yet conquered is composing convincing dialogue with actors who can deliver lines. The plot didn't develop a good twist and it was apparent with "natas" written at the top of a blood list, it was simply backwards writing. For some reason there are Christians who are obsessed with the idea of demonic backward masking. What was with the bar scene? How is it this northern California town has a bar filled with people who have a southern rural accent?

Film is written, produced, directed, and edited by Daric Gates.

No f-bombs, sex, or nudity.

Thought Provoking!

[jcenci-6-959648 · 9/10 · 20 May 2014]

This movie reminded me of "The Exorcism of Emily Rose!" In pacing and story! I liked the spiritual warfare and good vs. evil aspect of the film. Well-acted with good story. There were some really eerie shots which added a nice element to the film. Some of the effects were cool but I would of liked to have seen even more effects.

It looks like they shot the film at the same location as "Bates Motel"...not sure how they got access to the house but it was hard to not think about that element since they both looked so similar!

All in all I really liked this film. It has a nice element of fear and paranoia but focuses on the human emotion element as well branching off from other traditional horror films like it

Decent flick. Pretty good acting, but some amateur camera work.

[midwestfilmbuff123 · 6/10 · 11 December 2014]

This film is a little better than so-so. I debated rating it either a 6 or a 7, but decided on a 6 because of some camera work and editing choices.

The acting is better than average. Swayze and Wallace are really pretty solid (arguably Swayze's best performance since I thought in the past that his brother was a much better actor). A few of the other actors could have done more with the characters, though….particularly the guy from "The Blind Side" (Quinton Aaron). I thought he did a great job in that film, but this one….not so much.

Fun to see Dean Cain because he is such a cool dude, but his acting is always a little sub par. No exception to that in this film.

Some of the edits seem a little amateur as did some of the camera work. Overall, I enjoyed it once over some good popcorn, but wouldn't watch it a second time.

@Spear Seven

[jon-stokes21-539-17875 · 5/10 · 17 April 2014]

This movie is pretty bad. In fact the whole presentation of the movie was horrible, it had an appearance that it was shot with an amateur video camera bought at Target. I do not recommend this movie to anyone I have a favorable opinion of.

As for Spear Seven, I know the movie was bad but did you seriously have time to attempt to count how many "black women were in the movie"? It must be pretty tough looking through your racist eyes when the only thing you notice when you look at a person is the color of their skin! The color of ones skin doesn't matter to most people so when developers get together to make a film such as this they don't grab a check list to make sure they have a person from every ethnic background acting in the movie. In fact if you had half a brain you would have noticed PLENTY of African American people were involved in the making of this movie!!! I bet you're not complaining about having a BET channel where white people only seldom make an appearance at all? You probably don't complain about shows like Family Matters with no white people!!! No you're only concerned about your race because again because your only concerned with the appearance color of ones skin! You ma'am need to stop being racists, its getting really old and I only read one of your posts!

Eh - don't waste your time

[cristiek4 · 1/10 · 28 April 2014]

Well, Dean Cain, man....please don't ever appear in a film this crappy again. You were the only bright spot in it but you don't need to dumb down your acting resume with this kind of junk. The rest of the acting is pretty poor and I am always willing to give the benefit of the doubt...well, almost always but not in this case. I am supremely disappointed. I really hope the rest of the folks in this movie get a chance for some acting lessons. It would benefit them in their future endeavors and save people watching movies the agony of going through this...I wish I could say some kinder words about this movie but there just aren't any.

Derivative, contrived and incredibly boring.

[metalrage666 · 1/10 · 27 April 2014]

That's what I felt when watching this. I was basically watching every other lame ghost story there has ever been put to celluloid.

A detective and his wife try and start a new life in a small town, (why is it always a small town?), to get over the tragic loss of their child.

There's no time to settle in as the new detective becomes involved in a missing persons case. It all seems to be about a powerful demon that is running rampant through the town and also the fact that his wife used to be a victim of possession, however this just leaves her vulnerable to further possessions by one of the princes of hell known as Asmodeus. There are old houses, dead languages being spoken, words written in blood, spooky recordings and every other ghost movie cliché you can shake a stick at in The Appearing.

If all this sounds somewhat exciting, it isn't. I found this to just plod along from one seemingly spooky bit to the other without much story in between. Even the finale of the detective, sheriff and the obligatory fallen, yet not completely fallen priest helping to exorcise the demon was boring. It was obvious to me that they just tried way too hard to make this a masterpiece of cinematography, which it isn't. It appears that seeing Dean Cain in a cast list is another reason to avoid a movie at all costs.

As for other reviews on this title, I didn't find the movie racist in any way due to the lack of black women. For that matter there were no Asian or Hispanic women in the movie either from what I could see, but whether or not that makes a movie racist remains to be seen. The Appearing is just a boring, colour by numbers movie that didn't need to be made. Having a more multi-racial cast would not have made much of a difference to just how awful this movie is.

Sorry, Basically Unwatchable

[Ralphus2 · 2/10 · 5 May 2014]

I know it's not entirely fair to review a movie without watching it all the way through, but in the case of "The Appearing", watching it all the way through just wasn't an option: it was either switch this execrable garbage off or be forced to fall asleep in front of it; either way, it wasn't going to appear for more than 30mins. before this writer's eyes.

Being low budget and amateurish aren't necessarily the death knell of this kind of film. I have seen plenty over the years that are both, yet strive to bring something unique, creative, or reflect a deep love for the genre. At the core of it, "The Appearing's" biggest problem is that it doesn't display any of these qualities. The storyline is as humdrum as can be; the most basic horror tropes are on display: teenagers partying in the woods, local legends, new cop in town, troubled wife struggling to get over the loss of a child...and I'm sure the rest of the film would have kept trotting them out.

The most glaring flaws have mostly been mentioned in other reviews. For me, the casting was the biggest issue. The alleged teenagers--Susie in particular--look 30 years old, while the cop's wife looks incongruously much younger than him, to the point of looking like a dorky teen in that ill-suited (and ill-fitting?) summer frock they have her traipsing around in. I suppose wardrobe was provided by the actors and the director had to go with whatever they showed up in. Actually, Susie looks older than 30. She kinda looks like Jerri Blank in "Strangers with Candy". She doesn't actually look like her, just as out-of-place-old as her. That's a very cruel thing to say about the actress, but a look at her IMDb bio and photos does show a desperate attempt to hide her real age.

The script possesses many stupidities. One that stood out was the sheriff, upon greeting the new cop, saying that the town didn't even appear on several maps. Now, this was done to highlight its remoteness, its hick-ness. Yet it has a high school? How many backwoods ghost towns/lost to memory townships with tumbleweeds blowing through Main Street while a swinging bench claps against faded wooden boards with one road out that no one ever visits since the highway went in in '55...and therefore doesn't appear on official maps!...how many of these places have a staffed, operating, high school? That's right, a high school tends to get a place noticed; enough to warrant a dot and name on a map.

The best thing about the movie--and I really am being entirely serious here--is the stock footage of foliage that interlaces many of the editorial scene cuts. They are overdone and sometimes out of place, but they were quite attractive. That's why I assume they were stock footage of some sort; or footage acquired from elsewhere, at the very least (the director's college project, for example). Oh, if I'm being generous, the music wasn't too bad; in some scenes, such as 'teenager in summer frock' wife making (her first? it kinda looks like it) breakfast for straight-out-the-door cop husband (another cliché. What does she expect? She married a cop! He just said there was a missing person's case! What's with the "...but I made it for you special!"?)...the music while that gem was being played out was quite well done.

OK. Enough. For only 30mins of watching, I've been rambling enough.

Here's my summary: This is a very poor film which doesn't warrant a viewing even for supporting-up-and-coming/fan-of-B grade etc. reasons. It has few redeeming features and utterly lacks uniqueness or a creative addition to the genre. Plus, a bunch of middle-aged people running around playing teenagers while the director's little niece plays "a adult wife wiv a husben and everything!" is just too silly to watch. Don't let "The Appearing" appear anywhere on your movie viewing schedule.

Stupid, racist

[spearseven · 1/10 · 16 April 2014]

I could go on about the lame script, bad acting, blind camera work, lazy directing, and amateur editing, but this has been covered by the others commenting. The movie opens with a black man kissing a brunette, which is fine, except that not one black girl appears in the movie, and if there was, it would be an extra, completely ignored by all men except possibly a black man. Why? Because the movie industry is racist. I shove the crew's face in the pile of racism they made. BAD DIRECTOR! BAD PRODUCER! You are worse than scum, you are traitors. Matthew J. Ryan and Daric Gates are bigots: Do not hire, do not invite, do not return their calls.

The Worst Acting I've Ever Seen

[dongillette1 · 1/10 · 23 October 2014]

Dean Cain's not a bad actor but compared to the rest of these clowns, he's due an Academy Award. Patrick Swayze got all the looks and talent in that family if his brother's performance is any indication and Will Wallace was horrible... just horrible. Wallace had two expressions throughout the entire thing: "I want to kill myself" and "I want to kill somebody other than myself." The "acting" was completely over the top and everybody in it had the personality of a psychopath. I'm avoiding spoilers, but if you can make it a half hour into this thing, you'll have seen all you need to see to know it's a waste of your time. Oddly enough, each and every "10 star" rater of this movie has rated exactly one movie: this one. That says it all.

Poor casting, lacks pace

[lukeeade · 3/10 · 13 January 2024]

The movie is quite slow and lacks pace. The leading cast are ok, but the teenage roles were very unbelievable. The actors playing the teenagers were definitely in their mid 30s and the roles were very unconvincing and it kinda spoils the mood of the movie.

Sucks that there's a minimum requirement on how long a review needs to be. Rinse repeat

The movie is quite slow and lacks pace. The leading cast are ok, but the teenage roles were very unbelievable. The actors playing the teenagers were definitely in their mid 30s and the roles were very unconvincing and it kinda spoils the mood of the movie.

Definitely One To Avoid

[dfa120374 · 2/10 · 9 April 2015]

Wow....this film really was truly awful! I never choose a movie unless I watch trailers of it first (or if it's a film I know I want to see), but goodness knows what I saw in the trailers to make me want to see this pile of boring-a** rubbish.

I really don't know where to start with this film....the extremely dodgy acting, the nonsensical script, the editing, or the direction. All of it was really just as bad as each other if truth be told. Actually scrap that....I think the writing "wins" the award for worst part because while the general outline of the story made sense, the different elements to make up the story didn't.

Also when you see things like someone knocking on the door of a house they know is empty and shouting out "Hello?"; the lights in said empty house being on ALL the time (spooks need to see where they are going do they?!); highschoolers who are all very obviously in their early 20s, then you KNOW it's bad. It's like it was written by a 10-year-old. Then again, a 10-year-old might have come up with something better.

The editing was just as bad with it jumping from scene to scene the way it did as if a scene wasn't done before it suddenly went onto the next. They never led up to each other either....they just chopped and changed around aimlessly.

As for the acting, well, to say that none of the performances were worthy of any awards would be the understatement of the century, and you know it's bad when one of the more believable performances is from Dean Cain! Whether it was from the wooden performance from Emily Brooks' (especially for the the possession scenes), the clichéd performance & look as a psychiatrist by Conroy Kanter, or the continual over-the-top moodiness from Will Wallace, absolutely nothing was redeemable. The only good thing about The Appearing is when the end credits started to appear.

I generally enjoy a good possession type film, but The Appearing just made a mockery of that genre. Do yourself a favour...ignore this.

Fresh take on the exorcism genre

[jea8052003 · 9/10 · 9 June 2014]

In "The Appearing", Michael (Will Wallace) and his wife Rachel (Emily Brooks) relocate to a small town in northern California after the death of their daughter. Shortly after they arrive Rachel starts having disturbing hallucinations that all seem to be linked to this abandoned house (pretty sure it's the old house from "Psycho" which adds another element of cool). The house is also the location of several disappearances over the past several years and as Michael searches to uncover the truth he discovers a more demonic force may be at work.

I really enjoyed this movie! I thought it was a well-done exorcism film with nice plot development. I think some people going to horror films nowadays expect the cheesy clichés and over-the-top special effects in order for a film to be "watchable." This story focuses more on its characters and not just the possession.

Honestly, I grow tired of horror movies that are constantly bombarding the audience with over the top special effects. This film offers a fresh story line about religious warfare with an added emphasis of faith and spirituality that I really appreciated.

Deserves a Raspberry Award

[honeybloggs-69648 · 1/10 · 12 November 2021]

What a pile of steaming horse manure ! The acting was pathetic by the female lead . She looked like she was having a bad time on her monthly cycle rather than being possessed ! And Don Swayze looked like a bargain basement version of his brother .

Indepth script with deep unfolding story

[fluffchop · 5/10 · 9 March 2021]

I didn't enjoy this film, it's not enjoyable. It's a slow torturous journey into the depths of madness and darkness. It reveals more and more to the story the longer it goes on and is constantly interesting and engaging. Some people might really enjoy watching this, it's a real meal of a movie. It looks like it's just another typical horror but it has so much depth to the story of the characters in this small town with simple people.

I expected much worse!

[jessylee-39459 · 5/10 · 10 September 2020]

I thought it was gonna be TERRIBLE after reading reviews on another site! But I disagree with almost all their complaints! I didn't think it was too long, or that it dragged on in the beginning or otherwise! It held my attention all the way thru! I didn't fall asleep, in fact I fought to stay awake to see what happens! A lot of peeps said no chemistry between the couple, but HELLO, a couple months after losing a child... That will make or break a couple n clearly it broke them! So that's the point, u were supposed to feel their awkward chemistry.. They even tell u they moved out there hoping to get back to what they were to each other BEFORE they lost their daughter. Idk I was very satisfied with this film!

New type of horror film

[cheetahmel · 8/10 · 5 June 2014]

Director, Daric Gates, gives us an interesting view of a horror/thriller film that is both new and creative. Instead of the stereotypical characters that fans are used to seeing, "The Appearing" delivers a unique group of actors and a fresh storyline about spiritual warfare. The relatively new cast did a good job and the locations, including the original "Psycho" house, added a cool look and feel to the film. Originality and creativity make this a film worth watching. Plus, there are a number of up-and-coming actors (Emily Brooks, Natalie Kabenjian and Payton Woods) as well as seasoned professionals (Will Wallace, Dean Cain, Don Swayze, Wolfgang Bodison and Quinton Aaron) that are exciting to watch!