Apocalypse Cult (2014) User Reviews

Fairly routine found-footage horror but with some interesting ideas

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 2 December 2017]

The found footage film continues to be the go-to-guy when it comes to low budget horror film-making. A lot of people are fed up with the sub-genre and it is easy to understand why as, aside from the shaky-cam being capable of inducing headaches, there is also a certain over-familiarity about a lot of them. I consider myself to be fairly forgiving of these types of films myself though and do think the general set-up is one which can result in effectively sinister films when approached correctly. It would probably be fair to describe Apocalyptic as a bit of a mixed bag though. As it never escapes from a certain predictability inherent in found footage and does wind up with the kind of ending that an awful lot in this genre have. But it was still nevertheless a film which was successfully creepy and did keep me interested. Set in Australia, the story has documentary film-makers travel deep into the country to meet up with a religious cult to make a film about them. As could be predicted, these people prove to be very strange and some troubling events follow.

As is common with horror movies, character decisions here are often somewhat illogical, with the film crew hanging around for longer than they should and letting some things slide which they shouldn't. But I guess this is part and parcel of these types of movies to some extent. What was more of an issue for me was the central figure of the cult leader, who unfortunately was fairly badly acted by David Macrae, ensuring that this pivotal character had no charisma at all. I think it was quite damaging, as this is a leader whose actions are so extreme that they require some charisma in order to explain others going along with them so readily, such as the nightly ritual in which he chooses a different woman to sleep with every night, including a (very) young girl. These creepy details, along with the odd behaviour of the women cultists and what is discovered in the woods in the dead of night, are the kinds of things that make this one stand-out though and ensure that it does make some impact. It's a bit too basic and limited overall to be regarded as anything great but it does still offer some off-centre elements and ideas, and it never outstays its welcome.

Lower your expectations and achieve enlightenment.

[rushknight · 5/10 · 3 September 2014]

In general, all found footage films require you to lower your expectations. The very nature of this method of filming is to eliminate the need for special effects, large crews and complicated staging.

"Found footage" is synonymous with "Expect less." That being said, the exercise in minimalism has a tendency to refine and strengthen plots and is more demanding on the actors. So there are strengths that arise.

This film shows few of those strengths. The acting is not abhorrent, it's reasonable, but still remained unbelievable. It felt as though it was trying too hard. My personal feeling is that the acting failed because the plot itself was unbelievable and didn't really hold it's own. There are simply too many holes in the idea. Tiny little questions that you end up asking yourself that pull you out of the illusion. "Why did he say that? Why did they do this? Why would ANYBODY do this?" Every found footage film's greatest challenge is a battle with common sense. If the actors don't behave in the way that any normal person would, then the illusion is destroyed. There are simply too many places where common sense doesn't prevail.

That and the predictability of the plot kept making me wonder why the actors didn't see it coming. It was fairly obvious which direction this was going to end up going.

And lastly, poor choices by the editors. Your movie can't appear to be real when the camera angles keep shifting but the SOUND doesn't alter.

It came off as weak. Or even worse, it was unremarkable.

Creepy but not scary

[LiamBlackburn · 6/10 · 2 September 2014]

Wow, what a creepy horror show. The scenery is great. The contrast between the pink dresses and the foggy English(Australian?) hills. Hills that served as battlefields for so many epic wars. The current war is a war of the soul. A war between heaven and earth. The ripeness of the soul is what awaits those who follow the path of the righteous. Narrow is the good path towards salvation. Exclusion from society, from the evils of civilized man, exclusion from sodomy. God manifested in the man, the polygamist, omg his face is so freaky. How did they find this guy lol. His eyes are like the darkest depths of the deepest abyss. His teeth are like a skeleton. He looks like he's a walking skeleton omg. So creepy. Was this movie shot in Aussie? It looked exactly like England wtf.

Disappointing

[Red_Identity · 31 August 2014]

I kind of expected better just because of the very positive user reviews here on IMDb, or else I wouldn't have had high expectations. It's mildly effective, not at all original. Doing films of this cult-type is very popular, just last year we had The Sacrament, and that one was definitely more effective, even if more of a rehash of the Jonestown events. The acting here is really good though, and probably pushes the film even higher. The cinematography is nice, for a hand-held, and it's also pretty realistic so there's props for that. Ultimately, this just isn't very original and doesn't do much new to like it a lot, but it's decent enough.

Does nothing new, original or exciting. The word "BASIC" comes to mind...

[manuelasaez · 2/10 · 5 June 2015]

As usual, I went into this film with very little knowledge of it beforehand. No trailer, no synopsis, Nothing. What I got was a very basic, low budget, uninspired, clichéd and incredibly tiring film that is a prime example of why certain people are not suited to making movies. Making films requires technique, ability and a craft that is not possessed by just anyone, and simply because you have some cameras and a competent cast does not make you a film-maker. Found-Footage is a genre of film that, at its best, is effective and incredibly convincing. At its worst, as this film undoubtedly is, it shows that the writer/director has a combination of several things; a lack of talent, lack of budget, and a lack of knowledge in film composition. The worst offender of this film is that it does not even attempt to do anything original or new; it just retreads well-worn territory in a mundane and clearly artistically-limited way. This movie is one of those films that will be relegate to the annals of notoriety for not only being a bad movie, but for being a waste of time. That, in itself, is the worst offense. A bore from beginning to end. Complete and utter rubbish, and should not be given any time or attention.

All too familiar.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 9 September 2014]

It's amazing just how many so-called 'found footage' films there are these days. After the success of "The Blair Witch Project", many other independent filmmakers have also sought to make their mark with small budgets and films that supposedly consist of actual footage from real (and usually scary) events. The basic idea isn't bad but there is a problem with too many films trying to cash in on this style of picture. In other words, after a while the films start to have a certain sameness to them and few of the more recent found footage films are particularly watchable. This is my problem with "Apocalyptic", as it fails to break new ground and has an all too familiar ending.

An Australian journalist and her film crew are shown at the beginning of the movie attending an AA-type meeting for addicts. However, one of the participants talks about having escaped from a cult and the reporter smells a story. So, she and the crew get permission from the cult leader, Michael, to stay with them and record their lives. The cult, it turns out is very small--with about a dozen people in it. All are women apart from Michael.

At first the group seems odd but also quite happy. Sure, there are some weird aspects to the group--such as Michael claiming to have divine authority as well as his sleeping with most of the women. But the group still seems fairly normal. However, through the course of the film, Michael reveals himself to be a Jim Jones-type guy and he plans on a mass suicide. This final portion was not especially original--not only because of the famous Jonestown tragedy but because of another recent found footage movie, "The Sacrament", which pretty much recreates the Jonestown deaths. It also comes off as a bit exploitational and creepy watching all this at the end as opposed to being scary.

So is it any good? Well, the film work is pretty much what you expect from such a movie and you get the jerky camera, folks running and the like. But the story, as I already mentioned, lacks freshness. It's just a case of 'been there/done that' and the ending is clearly what most folks watching the film are expecting. It would have been a lot more interesting with some OTHER twist--anything but what the film seemed to telegraph during the first hour or so of the picture. I think everyone associated with the project tried hard and it's watchable, but nothing more unfortunately.

Don't waste your time!!!

[pakman-67807 · 1/10 · 17 December 2016]

I never reviewed a single movie online and probably wont often. I hated this movie soooo bad that I actually created an account and singed up to write a review of this. Please Don't waste your time on this. It was the worst movie I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of bad ones before. You would have more fun picking a splinter out of your finger than watch this piece of junk. Ending was the worst part too. Not even scary one bit. Just kept saying how stupid and unbelievable this story is. I really don't understand all those who gave this one more than one star. I would give it a negative star if I could. I seriously wish someone said how bad this was. I would have saved my time and not watched this movie. Again this is my first review because I want to spare someone else of this junk. thats how strongly I feel about this movie. Trust me you will wish you listened to me if you go ahead and watch it.

Very Well Done Indie (And I Had Nothing to Do with the Movie)

[chrismackey1972 · 7/10 · 31 August 2014]

A camera crew - Jodie and Kevin - visits an AA meeting n Australia where they meet a lot of substance abusers. One of the recovering addicts tells them he was in a cult because he thought the leader - Michael - was a prophet. The camera crew is intrigued enough to go on a roadtrip to try finding the cult. Along the way, they talk to locals to get their view of it, who pretty much laugh it off.

In a hotel room, while on the phone, Jodie discovers their AA lead is missing. She and Kevin don't pay much attention to it since he was a druggie, and they feel he probably just wondered off.

The next scene shows they are in a forest, and - cliché time lol - there is no cellphone reception. They meet two young girls who come wandering from behind the trees and they tell the crew to leave behind any communication devices. They are blindfolded and taken to the cult's encampment, which is made up of a few small houses, where they're greeted by many others in the camp, who are all women and young girls. Then they meet Michael. As Jodie interviews him, Michael starts sounding weird. He says "Once you join us, you are bound to us for life." Weirdo alert. During dinner, Jodie finds out that Michael takes a different one of "his" women to his bed every night.

The next day, while interviewing Michael's wife, Jodie discovers the prophecy that Michael mentioned the day before. Part 1 is the moving of the men. She tells Jodie that the men - 9 of them - have already left their earthly bodies and ascended to the new world to prepare it; cue the Twilight Zone theme. Part 2 is the screaming of the girls. Part 3 is the crossing into the new world.

Pervert alert. At dinner, Michael takes one of the little girls - Amy -to his bed :( That night, one of the girls has a screaming attack, which Michael takes as being part 2 of the prophecy. He slaps her across the face and stabs her in the arm with a knife. He and the women then tie her to a tree. This is where the movie really picks up. I can't tell you anymore without spoiling it. I will say that they find their AA lead.

The acting was great, as was the buildup and the story. It's filmed primarily through camcorders, so if you don't like that...well, don't let that dissuade you. The movie was very well done, especially for a low-budget indie.

David Macrae (Michael) was great as the cult leader. He was very believable in the role, as were the rest of the cast. I didn't really expect much from this because, let's face it, it's a low budget indie. However, it was a gripping and thrilling movie. I highly recommend it. I can't really say the story's original since it's been played out in real life, hello Jim Jones. Still it was done in a serious and realistic manner. I do have to say that the ending disturbed me, and I don't get like that very easily.

I gave this a 7-star rating. I might revisit that decision in a few days' time, but it was very well done. And NO, I had nothing to do with this movie, nor did anyone pay me to write a good review. However, if the producer wants to throw some money my way, I'll be grateful. :D lol Seriously, if you look at my reviews, I generally review indie films. Some I give good reviews to. Others, not so much.

One of the worst found footage movies I've seen

[pmaheadquarters · 1/10 · 6 May 2017]

What a terrible, unbelievable piece of rubbish. The plot is oh so original, the acting is terrible and what's with the cheap effects. Can they not use something that looks remotely like blood??

As far as unbelievable, the cult asks the crew to leave their communication devices i.e., cell phones behind but yet had no problem with them filming them. As if that wouldn't raise a red flag! I guess we're supposed to believe they never intended for the crew to leave...why be filmed and interviewed then? I can't believe some of the reviews some people give these garbage films. Man talk about low expectations.

This film brings absolutely nothing new to the doomsday cult premise. Avoid at all costs unless the alternative is a root canal and even then...

Found footage from Australia delivers

[victoryismineblast · 7/10 · 31 August 2014]

Refreshing film from Australia picks up on the new trend of combining found footage and Cults. Two documentary filmmakers follow a trail of clues until they are invited to spend a few days at a cult deep in the forests of Australia. When they get there things start really getting bizarre.

As they start following the daily lives of the cult members and interviewing them it becomes clear that things just aren't right. The leader, a creepy old man named Michael, regales them with tales of the apocalypse and their little group's role in it. The cult is comprised only of women and girls. Where did the men go?

Comparisons can be drawn here to Ti West's "The Sacrament," and rightfully so, but this one is so much more bizarre and sinister that it seems more like a horror movie than a rehashing of the Jonestown Massacre.

There are allusions to pedophilia and murder and so much else. The mood is just perfect and the scenery is at once beautiful and strangely creepy. The ending is startling as well as ambiguous and just perfect for this type of movie. It definitely kept me enthralled throughout. Highly recommended for fans of the genre, and fans of horror in general.

Could have been a decent f.f. film. Fails about an hour in.

[frankblack-79961 · 1/10 · 17 February 2021]

For about an hour I felt the low rating was undeserved. It quickly becomes apparent that the writers decided to make this as far from reality as they felt like. Nothing these "journalists" do after certain events makes any rational sense. Anyone with a brain would have had many different options to provide help in this situation. Complete garbage writing. They wanted to show the viewer the "cult" experience and cut all rational avenues in storytelling to get it done. Pathetic attempt.

Apocalyptic REVIEWS from Monster Fest 2013

[GlennTriggs · 10/10 · 27 November 2013]

APOCALYPTIC.

Local film maker Glenn Trigg taps into the aesthetics of the found footage genre for his fourth feature film Apocalyptic, which takes its cues from The Blair Witch Project and its like. Apocalyptic deals with a television news crew that venture into an enclave to film a cult and get caught up in a bizarre and terrifying suicide pact. While it is nowhere near as graphic and violent and shocking as Safe Haven, the Gareth Evans directed episode from the recent VHS 2, this is still an unsettling mood piece. Learning about the presence of a mysterious doomsday cult, the intrepid film crew head off to a remote forest to try and find out more about the organisation and its charismatic head Michael Godson (David Macrae). At first the small group seems like a devout bunch who practice their religion with an eye to the simple things in life without the modern trappings and technology of contemporary society. But soon it appears that there is a more sinister side to the cult. Every night Godson sleeps with a different woman, and even the youngest girls are not safe. As events begin to spiral into madness, the film moves towards a horrifying climax. The mood grows more unsettling as it becomes clear that even the youngest children in the cult are in jeopardy. Trigg uses the tropes of this subgenre effectively, from the jerky hand held camera to the shots of the microphone boom in the frame, and he even has the camera passed around amongst the cast so that events unfold from a number of different perspectives. The largely unknown cast deliver quite naturalistic performances, while a suavely sinister Macrae oozes evil. Apocalyptic is Trigg's fourth film, but it is easily his most accomplished in terms of style and ambition.

Fresh Addition to Found Footage Family

[mendzel · 7/10 · 9 June 2014]

The great thing about Chinese food is that you don't have to work very hard to eat it (or at least I don't). I just begin to shovel food in my face.

I was very glad I picked up Chinese food before sitting down to watch Apocalypse because I was so glued to the screen for the last 20 minutes I didn't even realize the bowl was empty.

I'm assuming some people will draw similarities between "Apocolypse" and Ti Wests "The Sacrament" (both based on cults and both released this year) and those similarities are many. However "Apocolypse" is a grittier, more realistic-feeling interpretation of what I think it would look like inside a Doomsday Cult.

While researching "The Sacrament" I kept seeing references to the real life Jonestown Massacres (loosely based upon it?) and that took away some of the mystery for me while watching the film. With "Apocolypse" I had no such pre-conceived notions and therefore was genuinely enthralled by the film and it's surprises

The phrase "shoestring budget" is mentioned on a few websites when I was researching this film I think it was filmed in a very short amount of time with a minuscule amount of money but YOU COULD NOT TELL!

This film looks as good as any major motion picture FoundFootage film out there (Devils Due, Delivery, PA). Even the small details of the film are pretty fantastic, down to the hand-made animal skin shoes the women wear.

Its refreshing for a horror film not to rush and shove the gore in your face. Apocolyptic takes its time and, like a good campfire, uses it's kindling to feed the progression of a growing fire of suspense.

The only downside was the lack of character development of the Cult leader: A Creepy, frail, pale, bald-headed, white-robed re-incarnation of Jesus (supposedly) I wanted to know more about him and really understand why these people worshiped him. The premise of the film revolves around him and his followers but I didn't really feel his charm or charisma come through the screen.

Aside from the similarities to "The Sacrament" I found this a wholly fresh take on the Found Footage trope.

Based on a story

[begob · 4/10 · 17 March 2015]

Foundish footage of normal folk confronting weird stuff in the woods.

Strange rumours are heard by nosey people with cameras. Enquiries are made, the task is set. The car is left in the middle of nowhere, and a journey into Hell begins.

Not much to add. The heroes/inquirers aren't of much interest - he's geeky with a conscience, she's ditzy and ambitious. The villain is well played, although his apocalypse is vague. The scares are not too scary.

I say foundish footage, because the geek escaped with his camera near the end. As far as I could tell he didn't get captured. Maybe I missed it. I didn't really care.

Most interesting aspect was the mist. I guess they got lucky on the day.

The end is uninspired, although they did find a use for trembling cam to suggest the coming of ... THE APOCALYPSE!

Fantastic!! Storytelling

[lut_e_lut · 7 May 2014]

I went down to Melbourne (Cinema Nova) just to see the mans film himself Glenn Triggs new inspiring film "Apocalyptic". This was after seeing his prior film "41" I had high hopes which he did deliver very well :) Casting was fantastic! he did a great job, locations, character/s and story were all fantastic as well. I was captivated from start to finish the only thing that let me down the most but it was nothing major in terms of overall story or structure was the sound design I would of thrown a bit more sound design in there to really set it off and give it that Wow! Factor. I just felt that it was missing and really needed to give it that BOOM!! Shot of emotion. But other than that overall I thought it was a very well designed, put together film and I give it 7/10 i prob would of went up to 8 or 9 with the sound design.

Luke (Writer/Producer/Director)

Shilling Entertainment

PLEASE DON'T USE THE C- WORD

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 28 November 2018]

Another hand held camera film visits a remote doomsday cult. Guess how that ends? David Macrae plays the creepy cult leader Michael Godsend. No other guys in the cult. Michael sleeps with a different girl every night. Blah, blah, blah.

They need to expand the laws for plagiarism and have these script writers arrested. I was so surprised they were in remote area with no cell phone reception. I have never seen that in a horror film before. What a great idea. Want to see my shocked face?

Parental Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

Really just Another Pile of Found Footage Crap

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 3/10 · 9 March 2020]

I know this made me want to start my own Cult, but I highly doubt other people will find the same appeal.

-1 Bad Story

-1 Bad Ending. Seemed Something Was Left Out.

One Star Movie Gets Minor Bonus Points

[cdlistguy · 3/10 · 29 May 2020]

I really enjoyed Glenn Triggs previous movie, "41," but he takes a giant step backwards with this go-nowhere-slowly story about a backwoods cult being filmed for a documentary. Triggs is an auteur a la John Sayles; he wrote, directed and edited this nonsensical mess. I usually give one star when I don't finish the movie, but I somehow managed that so I was at two stars when I decided that David Macrae's performance was right up there with his work in "41." So three stars it is. I'm not sure what went wrong here, but let's hope for a comeback from this erratic director.

Boy am I a sucker

[tfmiltz · 7/10 · 31 August 2014]

I think it's PROBABLY fair for me to say it's no spoiler to say this wasn't a documentary.

I didn't know though.

Then again, this is coming from someone who watched Blair Witch and believed everything they read on the internet at the time that Blair Witch was a real hand filmed experience. Clearly the ending in Blair Witch gave it away for me - although I did always love that line in BW "No redneck is THIS smart".

As to Apocalyptic, one classic line was "The rest of the world can go to hell" and seeing some 14 year old girl go "Get on your knees" before putting a blind fold on, eh, I was still buying this was a real documentary. It was that same girl who said the rest of the world can go to hell regarding a comment on the cult not using the 'internet'. It was the SAME girl who went into a seizure who at the point where cult lead Michael said 'bring me the knife' and stabbed her in the arm, I thought, this can't be a documentary - NOT to mention the cult leader waving his magic finger at which female he'd take to bed each evening stopping at some 8 year old girl.

All in all, I've stopped watching the movie at THIS point at the tree scene now that I know it's not a true documentary. I think the movie could have done better not getting so extreme so fast, I really would have been fooled. This is coming from someone who used to HOUND another guy named Michael who lived in US South West via email - THAT Michael believed he TOO was Jesus - or 'God' - unfortunately the documentary on Michael's cult WAS real and well - there is something to be said when the two 14 year old girls who are scrubbing the coating off the pan religiously at the sink "Ya know, the bible says we should lay down with the lord, and I think that's just what I'm going to do tonight" the other girl goes "I already did" I'll leave their names out of it as to respect, but I think it was PBS - maybe Discovery channel who did that documentary.

So, yes, there ARE people like this out there. Don't kid yourself - WHY TWICE the name Michael has been used ? beats me - All the Mikes in the world are going - WHY WHY WHY does Jeebus ALWAYS have to be named Michael.

Anyway- I give this movie a good rating because of what they did on such little or no budget - Let's keep in mind Kevin Smith's Red State here too. That ALSO involved a religious cult (fiction, but really ? compared to Bachmann's husband's trips to the deeeeeep forest - all men - to CURE men of their ill begotten sexual preferences ? wait - wrong story - and that's not fiction EITHER ) but Red State was probably closer to the truth on just where the extremist right can lead when religion gets invited to bed with some guy named Michael.

This movie could have been done better had it come closer to home to the extremist Palin Bachmann religious right in the US - as Matt Damon says - yeah - this woman believes dinosaurs existed 10,000 years ago, she's going to have the nuclear launch codes, I NEED TO KNOW. I updated that to - here is someone who believes - like the cult leader Michael in this fictional piece- Palin and Bachmann don't camp far from the End Days camp- and you know ? I just don't feel comfortable with someone who NEEDS it to be the end of the world ? holding the nuclear launch codes.

So, this movie is valuable as a reflection of the dangers of religious extremism in the modern world. And let's not forgot the King of Saudi Arabia 2 days ago saying ISIS will attack Europe next month and United States in 2 months (October I suppose would be 2 months), if the world doesn't stop the religious extremist group Saudi Arabia initially funded that is now out of control threatening to end the world if everyone doesn't convert.

Yeah - religious extremism is a danger in this world, this movie COULD have delivered that message better than subtle tones of incest, child abuse and what appears to be blood letting.

So - no Sundance awards going to THIS Movie, but Red State by Kevin Smith deserves better placement somehow, someway.

But the movie leaves us all with REAL haunting tales of horror and that is- how do we move forward in peace in a nuclear era where you have fundamentalist ideologies that have spawned by keeping people illiterate ?

Perhaps one answer to it all- EDUCATION.

All the Satanists who adopt Crowley go off bout - only one law 'do as thou wilt' - makes me ill to think back at people at University who were obsessed with that - and then you have the Christian fundamentalists who upon being released from prison go "which way to the nearest playground, doesn't matter- I can do what I want - caused I'm SAVED" SAME thing, different labels. Yeah, that's right, Eyes Wide Shut could have been about the Mega churches in Texas- and I think Kevin Smith in Red State came close to merging these two themes.

Yikes - being 46 years old, augh! I hope that's not my life ! I just hit the scene where I realize it's fiction ! AUGH heh...

Not worth the time

[jmbwithcats · 2/10 · 10 June 2022]

The best thing about this movie is the poster... nothing in the poster happens in the movie... this was the most boring pointless movie I've ever seen and nothing happens worth watching or talking about. I cannot recommend it. It was awful.

This is actually kind of wonderful

[killercharm · 5/10 · 18 April 2020]

A skeleton crew of two are blindfolded and taken to the compound of a doomsday cult in the green backwoods of Australia. There they find the leader/embodiment of god, Michael, and a bunch of females from 8 years old to 80, from which group Michael selects his sleeping partner every night. After a few more left fielders they come to see that the doomsday is upon us O Lord!

Very good indeed

[spookywoo · 9/10 · 23 October 2019]

I was gripped from the moment the women started singing "Can you hear, can you hear him?"

I found it very effective in its creepiness but wouldn't say it had any outright scares. It's more grimly fascinating with some great eerie moments. I found the acting of the women and cult leader continually unsettling and was happy with the ending, which had a genuine surprise (for me at least) in the last few seconds. This is one of my favourite found footages, and I'm a fan of the genre in general.

Boring.

[matto-65470 · 2/10 · 30 December 2019]

Trying to be to clever with camera work and creepy tales, but just bored me to the point I didn't even care about the story. Some decent acting by some of the girls. That's it.

Likable horror ...

[parry_na · 8/10 · 18 January 2016]

This is one of the more convincing films in the found footage genre, and features two main characters.

This is an example of what makes a successful found-footage picture. Two likable film-makers Jodie and Kevin (Jane Barry/Geoff Pinfield) visit a 'doomsday cult' populated mainly by women and lead by Michael (David MaCrae). They appear unnaturally happy and contented. Something is clearly wrong, but answers aren't forthcoming in any great hurry. When they come, they are covered in a subtle way – strong hints of necrophilia, murder and a not unpredictable final outcome are covered in a solid, entertaining manner. Solid is one thing, however, and I found myself wishing the excellent performances (Barry and Pinfield have great chemistry, and MaCrae succeeds in making Michael a thoroughly convincing, unhinged monster) and mood of unease could have been embellished with a few more genuinely frightening scenes. What we had, even at the end, was fairly repugnant, but not terribly frightening.

As is sometimes the case with found-footage projects, the ending is open to interpretation. Although events certainly appear to be heading in a certain direction, I didn't expect things to end as they did. (Spoilers) There were four different endings shot, and this is the one the crew were most happy with. I'm not sure I wouldn't have preferred the character of Kevin, who disappears towards the end, to reappear. Still, with the ending as it is, the earlier prophecy of 'apocalypse' might well have come to fruition … A mention too for the tremendous cinematography. Misty early mornings and sunrises certainly make the idea of the isolated cult seem an appealing one, even if their methods were a lot less wholesome.

Disarmingly Good

[diogenes-858-449167 · 8/10 · 27 September 2021]

I've never mentioned the casting director in a review before, but huge props to Jessica Miller for her casting of Apocalypse Cult. It is close to perfect. Coupled with Trigg's masterful direction of the mystery horror genre, it's one hell of a trip.

On it's surface, Trigg's film examines the nature and behaviour of people caught up in the cult of personality. It's something, as adults, we like to think we're familiar with.

But, Apocalypse Cult is reality story telling that is unusually capable on one hand, and wretchedly confronting on the other. The acting is so unaffected as to have had me wondering if I wasn't watching a true documentary,then for some reason made into a film.

This is Trigg's genius. He begins by using non-actor local citizens to set up the story.

When me meet the apparently benign members of the 'devoted family', we're lulled into such a sense of security it's easy to laugh at and pity them.

The twist is that what they're capable of takes us on an emotional journey we weren't expecting, despite ourselves.

I can't praise Trigg (and I suspect a lot of Jessica Miller input as a real life TV journo) enough for his direction, pacing and execution of this tale. He manages to sidestep the usual pitfalls associated with this type of film making, keeping it relaxed, while at the same time suspenseful and gripping to the last frame. While I wouldn't have ended with the same creative choice, it works. And given the quality of what preceded it, I won't quibble.

Props further to the whole 'devoted family'. The performances were disarmingly good. They worked so well with Trigg in making their characters believable. I'm still astounded at what they achieved. This is a film I'll be thinking about for sometime to come.