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Echoes of Fear (2018)
A creepy, well-acted horror movie
It's shaping up to be a good season of horror movies, folks. First we tapped My Soul to Keep, and that owned. Then Along Came the Devil II, and we were not disappointed.
The hits keep on coming with Echoes of Fear, a new supernatural horror film with a groovy twist starring the talented Trista Robinson, who I predict will be the next big Scream Queen if she keep up like this. That woman brings a fine mix of vulnerability and intensity to a role, and has some of the best facial expressions I've ever seen. I felt her fear!
How's the movie though? Damn good! It takes a bit of time to get going, but once it does -- BAM! I jumped out of my seat a few times in some truly short's sh---ing moments. And, far as I can tell, all the scares were staged in camera. There was no CGI on display here.
Oh, what's it about? Right! Kinda important: Robinson plays a young woman who must confront the mysteries surrounding her grandfather's death when she inherits his house. Suffice to say, the house has a history, and something within it is not happy.
Co-writers/directors Brian and Laurence Avenet-Bradley crafted a groovy supernatural horror story that delivers the scares and keeps the audience guessing as to what is really going on. It sort of reminded of Nicholas McCarthy's The Pact, but in a good way (that movie got me too). I highly recommend people check this one out. A Good!
Along Came the Devil 2 (2019)
A solid, spooky Halloween treat for horror fans
So how does one watch a sequel to a movie he's never seen?
This is the question I asked heading into Along Came the Devil II, as I haven't watched Along Came the Devil, and nothing I'd read about it makes me want to. But I had an interview lined up with the sequel's lovely star, Laura Slade Wiggins, and wanted to do my due diligence prior to our conversation.
So I read some Cliff's Notes on the first one, pushed play on the screener, and was pleasantly surprised... at least for the most part. Things start with a bang, slow down for about 30 to 35 minutes, and then deliver all the goods in the final act. So solid first act, great last act, and a slow middle.
The film is aided by the great Bruce Davison, who can act his way around anything. He plays a troubled priest left over from the first movie, who's faced the Devil and believes that evil force has returned. Kudos as well to Ms. Slade Wiggins. She does some solid scream-queen work here, and is a strong female lead, keeping the SQ tradition alive.
Writer/director Jason DeVan might not offer anything new, but his film looks great and moves at a pretty fast clip. And he can stage a scare. The man's studied the genre, and knows what we're here for. Next time, there needs to be boobies though, Jason. Just FYI.
I'm going to give Along Came the Devil II a Good. I'd of liked a slightly faster paced middle act, but this was still a slick, creepy and well-made movie. Shawn concurs, and gives it a Good as well.