Not often I've seen good horror from IFC Midnight. This one it's an exception. Good horror. Nice performance by the young caracter. Nice camera work. Solid direction and photography . Even the soundtrack it's nice . I was not expecting nothing like this. Not in the top of the genre but I like it.
119 Reviews
Careful what you wish for
trailerfreak15 May 2021
This Is What It Sounds Like When Snails Cry
damianphelps27 March 2022
The kid is good and there are some great jump scares
marcdebiak17 May 2021
It's about 70 minutes long. It doesn't deliver any more or less than it promises. It's well done for a low budget, has a great performance, and the scares are good. It's not a masterpiece but not as bad as some other reviews say.
Honest review of The Djinn...
Vises19 May 2021
I'm sorry to say that it appears as though many of the reviewers didn't grasp Messrs. Charbonier and Powell's intent and that's a shame because this movie is better than it wants to be. It is ambitious and layered.
The actors did a fine job, especially Ezra Dewey. The kid has quality. Rob Brownstein was very convincing as a concerned and loving father.
The 'trauma responses' aspect of the movie is what motivates Ezra's character and that storyline is very nicely tied up at the end.
The ambition is crossing the genres of Horror and Psychological Drama with a bit of Mystery. It's not so much Thriller nor slasher Horror (though there are a couple slashes).
The lore of the Djinn is almost always underscored by the 'be careful what you wish for' maxim, which is hinted at very subtly and uniquely in a delicate philosophical exchange between father and son fairly early on.
Personally, I loved the very contained element of the small apartment for the setting of the majority of the film. You can almost imagine this being done as a stage play.
I'm sorry that there are so many negative reviews for what is clearly something slightly askew from the common fare thrown about as modern Pop Horror; this is a solid 7...
...it's just not for everyone.
The actors did a fine job, especially Ezra Dewey. The kid has quality. Rob Brownstein was very convincing as a concerned and loving father.
The 'trauma responses' aspect of the movie is what motivates Ezra's character and that storyline is very nicely tied up at the end.
The ambition is crossing the genres of Horror and Psychological Drama with a bit of Mystery. It's not so much Thriller nor slasher Horror (though there are a couple slashes).
The lore of the Djinn is almost always underscored by the 'be careful what you wish for' maxim, which is hinted at very subtly and uniquely in a delicate philosophical exchange between father and son fairly early on.
Personally, I loved the very contained element of the small apartment for the setting of the majority of the film. You can almost imagine this being done as a stage play.
I'm sorry that there are so many negative reviews for what is clearly something slightly askew from the common fare thrown about as modern Pop Horror; this is a solid 7...
...it's just not for everyone.
The most childish story
aicsbutt14 May 2021
Great tension
queenofthedamned8316 May 2021
I can't fathom the bad reviews here.
The characters were well portrayed and easily empathised with. The story was a pretty old one but gave us the basic rules of play.
The tension was palpable, overwhelming even. I really wanted the little boy to win.
It wasn't drawn out too long to make it boring at any point.
All round I think it was a great movie.
The characters were well portrayed and easily empathised with. The story was a pretty old one but gave us the basic rules of play.
The tension was palpable, overwhelming even. I really wanted the little boy to win.
It wasn't drawn out too long to make it boring at any point.
All round I think it was a great movie.
Not good.
pipo-16 May 2021
First the 80's style was nicely re-created and the acting was ok the first 5 minutes lets you know how the next hour will be like since the movie never changes pace.
The movie was way too slow and drawn out too much in the same area (house), and too much of the same actor, plus add in full length music tracks makes it feel incredible slow motion and feels even worse when the kid moves in slow motion in every scene.
I eventually turned it off and just fast forwarded to the end (which is terrible) so I'm glad I saved some time out of this movie since I would of been pissed if watched to the end.
The movie was way too slow and drawn out too much in the same area (house), and too much of the same actor, plus add in full length music tracks makes it feel incredible slow motion and feels even worse when the kid moves in slow motion in every scene.
I eventually turned it off and just fast forwarded to the end (which is terrible) so I'm glad I saved some time out of this movie since I would of been pissed if watched to the end.
Offensively bad
jesserbyars16 May 2021
I rarely give even bad movies I see less than 4/10 on here. This movie is aggressively boring and cliche. However, if you enjoy watching people walk very slowly around a single small location while no one ever speaks any dialogue, you are going to love this. One of the single worst movies I have ever seen.
Should have listened to the low reviews...It is gash!
omendata16 May 2021
Yes this one is a turkey and it is not even Christmas yet!
Cashing in on the brilliant original movie with the superlative Andrew Divoff, this one really is pretty dire. If you are expecting to see the evil Djinn with the gravelly voice of someone like Divoff then think again - There is NO dialogue and there is NO Djinn!
I commend it for the old style 80's synth riffs but setting a whole movie in a small apartment with no dialogue was never going to work. The acting is passable but as one other reviewer concisely put it, "it really is just about a little boy running around an apartment" with zero scares, hardly any creature effects at all and absolutely zero story or characterization and utterly mind bogglingly dull, dull , dull! So much so I started to browse the internet and do my tax return, if that does not tell you all you need to know then nothing will!
Avoid this one unless you have run out of sleeping tablets!
Cashing in on the brilliant original movie with the superlative Andrew Divoff, this one really is pretty dire. If you are expecting to see the evil Djinn with the gravelly voice of someone like Divoff then think again - There is NO dialogue and there is NO Djinn!
I commend it for the old style 80's synth riffs but setting a whole movie in a small apartment with no dialogue was never going to work. The acting is passable but as one other reviewer concisely put it, "it really is just about a little boy running around an apartment" with zero scares, hardly any creature effects at all and absolutely zero story or characterization and utterly mind bogglingly dull, dull , dull! So much so I started to browse the internet and do my tax return, if that does not tell you all you need to know then nothing will!
Avoid this one unless you have run out of sleeping tablets!
Well, this was stupid and not thought out at all.
pshtif15 May 2021
Well this movie started with a good premise and then went all down the... Djinn that wants to kill you like MacGyver by rerouting the gas from kitchen stove I mean come on. Can't choke a kid with both hands for over a minute while having supernatural powers. This was so laughable I thought I am watching a parody most of the time. I mean any semi-intelligent person in a decent shape would basically beat up this Djinn in no time. I though he was a scary immortal guardian and not a stoned up idiot like in this movie.
The "shocking" ending was quite predictable and felt totally forced while repeating multiple times the words from the book so we REALLY know what they meant by it. Such a clique becoming quite common in modern movies. I guess they think the audience is probably really stupid and can't put 2 and 2 together.
The "shocking" ending was quite predictable and felt totally forced while repeating multiple times the words from the book so we REALLY know what they meant by it. Such a clique becoming quite common in modern movies. I guess they think the audience is probably really stupid and can't put 2 and 2 together.
Ezra Dewey
yusufpiskin15 May 2021
Independent and low-budget productions like this will save the horror movie. The history of horror cinema started with such films. Directing, sound design, cinematography, scenario deserve appreciation. A special greeting; Ezra Dewey. He's backed the whole movie. Big responsibility for that age.
boring and low budget
stuwright0514 May 2021
Serious film makimg, very old school
A_Different_Drummer16 May 2021
There was a time when camera angles, framing skills, direction, sound, and editing were more important than al the CGI of the today. David Charbonier and Justin Powell have done a low budget indie which is technically perfect and deserves a much wider audience.
15 mins storyline
ks-605006 June 2021
Decent horror movie
mj-8098614 May 2021
Critics are right here
PedroPires9024 May 2021
Critics are right on this one. I honestly don't understand what horror audience want these days. Or any day...as there are only 5/6 consensual horror movies in history.
This is a simple, but very well executed story, with a good atmosphere, a great acting from the kid and with a good and important lesson in the end.
Yeah, sometimes it looks like a Goosebumps book/episode. Is that bad? I don't think so. I think we need much more of this horror for teens and for a different audience. I liked it.
This is a simple, but very well executed story, with a good atmosphere, a great acting from the kid and with a good and important lesson in the end.
Yeah, sometimes it looks like a Goosebumps book/episode. Is that bad? I don't think so. I think we need much more of this horror for teens and for a different audience. I liked it.
90 minutes of my life wasted.
ljpatton-7936116 May 2021
The movie is short and the popcorn was good. Those are the only good things about this movie. Ezra Dewey may be a talented young actor, but this was so badly written that he never stood a chance. Don't waste your time or money. It's truly dreadful.
3 wishes
Syntax_Terror19 June 2022
1. I wish that they didn't just SAY this was in the 1980s and they actually had put effort into making it look and sound like it was. Nothing was remotely reminiscent of that era.
2. I wish this was just a short and not full length feature. Man, it just wouldn't end!
3. I wish I had a pizza
Watched this after a rewatch of Wishmaster and Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies because the sequel was such a let down I thought I'd jump over to another lane for a genie horror. Should've stayed in my own lane I think. Give a wide berth.
2. I wish this was just a short and not full length feature. Man, it just wouldn't end!
3. I wish I had a pizza
Watched this after a rewatch of Wishmaster and Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies because the sequel was such a let down I thought I'd jump over to another lane for a genie horror. Should've stayed in my own lane I think. Give a wide berth.
Just awful
greggman15 May 2021
There are cliches in cinema that need to die. One is the slow head turn. No one does that in real life. A real person turns their head immediately. They don't stand there and slowly turn their head to the thing commanding their attention. It's bad directing to have such a stupid scene and this movie used it multiple times. That's just one of the many issues with this movie.
The kid wasn't a good actor, or maybe he is a good actor just poorly directed.
Even the Djinn, as defined in the movie, didn't make any sense. In the movie, the Djinn turns into dead people it sees photos of. Um, okay, so how did this "ancient" thing function pre photos?
The Djinn has the power to fix broken glass and create force fields that throw people across a room but for some reason can not use these powers to kill its victim. Yea, ok.
I could go on but what's the point.
The kid wasn't a good actor, or maybe he is a good actor just poorly directed.
Even the Djinn, as defined in the movie, didn't make any sense. In the movie, the Djinn turns into dead people it sees photos of. Um, okay, so how did this "ancient" thing function pre photos?
The Djinn has the power to fix broken glass and create force fields that throw people across a room but for some reason can not use these powers to kill its victim. Yea, ok.
I could go on but what's the point.
Well Done!
info-33728-3004015 May 2021
ABSOLUTE GARBAGE!
sosevh18 May 2021
Fun and Suspenseful
ycaca16 May 2021
Really enjoyed this movie. It was legitimately suspenseful but maybe not scary per se if you're looking for a scary movie. And it's not a "horror" either if you were hoping for gore.
It jumps right in. There's very little build up. You get what you need about the characters right away and then we're off stuck in a bad situation with the protagonist.
The kid's performance was good -- especially for a child actor. I believed it. VFX were used strategically well too.
I really liked the 80s vintage grittiness-processing. The score/soundtrack was modern but still authentically 80s and really effective.
If I had a complaint, it's that the protagonist didn't feel scared enough by the situation and was able to move into crisis control mode too easily for someone so young. Turning into a little McGyver was cute but came too easily for him.
It was also interesting to see a male protagonist contrasted against so many (majority) female protagonists after so many years of the genre. The writers chose to write the little boy as a more capable victim (in the 80s) than female victims are typically portrayed in similar situations and movies these days. Since there's no comparison with female victims to reference in their filmology I found myself wondering if their female victims would be as capable.
Despite that I really enjoyed the film. Wished it was a little longer and got a little deeper into some lore. Easy 7 or 7.5.
It jumps right in. There's very little build up. You get what you need about the characters right away and then we're off stuck in a bad situation with the protagonist.
The kid's performance was good -- especially for a child actor. I believed it. VFX were used strategically well too.
I really liked the 80s vintage grittiness-processing. The score/soundtrack was modern but still authentically 80s and really effective.
If I had a complaint, it's that the protagonist didn't feel scared enough by the situation and was able to move into crisis control mode too easily for someone so young. Turning into a little McGyver was cute but came too easily for him.
It was also interesting to see a male protagonist contrasted against so many (majority) female protagonists after so many years of the genre. The writers chose to write the little boy as a more capable victim (in the 80s) than female victims are typically portrayed in similar situations and movies these days. Since there's no comparison with female victims to reference in their filmology I found myself wondering if their female victims would be as capable.
Despite that I really enjoyed the film. Wished it was a little longer and got a little deeper into some lore. Easy 7 or 7.5.
Talent...
Reidal8021 May 2021
Its low budget but it won't matter , the effects are good , the acting was fine and the guys behind the cameras did a great job , very creative and tense...Love how great they introduced the demon through his eyes watching everything in the apartment in a red tone , once you realized is an indie film you star seeing it different and start discovering the effort and passion for horror invest in this movie .
The soundtrack is catchy, 80 pop and the ending is not waooooo but satisfying.
The soundtrack is catchy, 80 pop and the ending is not waooooo but satisfying.
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