The Banished (2019) User Reviews

My Soul is Broke

[nogodnomasters · 2/10 · 14 April 2019]

IMDB had the film listed as Caliban. Caliban was the name of a little demon Emma would place into her paintings. It also gives information that is somewhat a secret until the end. I will give you a PLOT SPOILER at the 30-minute mark.

Jane Darcy (Jennifer Hyde) goes to the small town of Greenvale to bury her mother who died from a brain tumor. While there, she meets a few town folks who are out of sort, especially Christopher Dodd (Tigre Haller). The sheriff is less than friendly and at 30 minutes into the film, our protagonist is dead. The rest of the film is flashbacks, one to a week ago and another one 40 years ago where we have Mary, Emma's mother. Both are played by Fiona Horsey, must be a budget thing. The film then flips back and forth at random between the two events, bringing us back up to date, filling in the mystery of the silo child, which wasn't much of a mystery and not one at all if you read IMBD.

The film lacked a good climax and ending on top of being a boring "mystery." There is nothing supernatural in the film, although it is discussed.

Guide: F-word. sex. No nudity

A Horror Movie This Is Not

[deager · 2/10 · 11 April 2021]

What is it...good question. A bad script written after a bad pizza, a bad idea after a bad bottle of wine? I don't know. I think it is a bunch of decent ideas sewed together in a incoherent mess full of plot threads that just hang there waiting to be snipped off, tied up or woven in, not just forgotten.

For instance why was it necessary to shoot the daughter of the daughter (not a typo) who came all the way from London to see what happen to her mother who had come all the way from London to see why her mother (main mom) left her abandoned or was killed. Hey, your confused...be thankful I watched the movie for you. Also, how did main mom get one side of her face disfigured from burns and what is the significance other than to distinguish between one actress playing two "mom" roles.

How did daughter #1 (or mom #2, take your pick) get from this "bad" town they keep harping on to London in the first place, when she was abandoned at the age 6 or so, found crying in the corner of a bedroom in the house and never seen again until she pops up in London telling her daughter (#2) she is headed to the "bad" town.

Then we have the half brother who was born of a illicit relationship between main mom and the priest she cleaned and cooked for and was in love with. A devote Catholic though she was the Devil managed to get into her. The half brother was physically disabled, if that isn't slapping you in the face with sins of The Father I don't know what is. The mother's treatment of him, or the demon as she referred to him was appalling. The priest called him his son but did little else to help.

It is like watching a broken Merry-Go-Round that goes around and around, wobbling, trying to fix itself but it can't. There is just so much of this crazy nonsense thrown out there in hopes it will all eventually come together in a movie that makes sense. It doesn't, so they finally realize it and end it. And then did that badly too, even though they do answer the burning question, but leave a host of others left riding that crazy merry-go-round.

Two stars for the young actor the plays the go-fer, musician, funny guy and for the actor that plays the half brother (even if he chews a lot of scenery). Zero stars for the actor who plays the Sheriff, the script, director, the photographer (who insisted on shadows upon shadows), the editing, and the rest of the cast. I say skip this one, it isn't even so bad it's good.

too slow too boring

[saskpareki-41587 · 2/10 · 9 June 2020]

Why begin with the end of the story and end with the beginning? hard to understand and a really bad movie. sorry i lost every interest before even reaching the finale

Cycle of evil

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 23 October 2020]

Snippy Londoner Jane (a fine performance by Jennifer Hyde) goes to the small town of Greenvale, New York to claim the remains of her deceased mother Emma. While in Greenvale Jane encounters Christopher Dod (an excellent anguished portrayal by Tigre Haller, who also co-wrote the bleak script), a miserable disabled man who shares a dark secret with Emma.

Director David Bororquez relates the absorbing story at a deliberate pace, maintains an appropriately grim and melancholy tone throughout, and ably crafts and sustains a gloomy brooding atmosphere. The sturdy acting by the capable cast helps a lot: Haller astutely nails the tormented soul of his pathetic wretch character, Fiona Horsey does well in two roles, Kate Benson cuts an imposing figure as the hard-nosed and protective Sheriff Miranda Lacey, David Palmer contributes a likeable turn as the easygoing Samuel, and Julio Rod Marin impresses as the pious Father Pedro. Moreover, this movie makes a sad and relevant point on how parents who are religious fanatics can ruin the lives of their children. While the big reveal at the end may be predictable, it nonetheless still packs a powerfully brutal dramatic punch. By no means a pleasant film, but a really potent and unsettling one just the same.

Oddly entertaining...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 28 May 2020]

Well, I will say that "Caliban" (aka "The Banished") wasn't your average run-of-the-mill horror movie, for better or worse. I suppose that means that some might not overly enjoy the movie as it turned out to be.

I found it to be adequate. It wasn't an overly thrilling movie experience, but it did offer nice enough entertainment to make it watchable. However, I did like that the movie wasn't just another average mainstream horror movie. So writer Tigre Haller and director David Bohorquez definitely managed to do something right here.

The atmosphere in the movie was the most interesting actually, because it had a sense of isolation and foreboding dread to it. That was definitely something that I liked, because it added a lot of flavor to the overall movie.

The acting in the movie was adequate, although I must say that Tigre Haller definitely carried the majority of the movie with his performance. Mind you, that this movie has a small cast ensemble, so you get to see the same people a lot on the screen.

"Caliban" wasn't also a movie that was overly predictable, and I must say that the storyline actually proved enjoyable enough to me, and it was a nice moment when you come to realize what was really going on.

Now, for a horror movie, then "Caliban" wasn't really outstanding. It was more of a suspenseful thriller in my opinion. But hey, a matter of preference and taste, and just how weathered and seasoned you are to the horror genre, I suppose.

Initially I was going to settle on a mediocre rating for the movie, but I found that director David Bohorquez actually managed to do something great with subtle additions in the movie, which actually brought the movie out of a mediocre slump. As such, my rating is a six out of ten stars for "Caliban". Keep in mind, though, that this might not actually be something for just everyone in the audience.