Standing up and welcoming everyone to the spiritualist church is something Patrick McLaughlin does most evenings. Most of the faces in the audience are familiar to him, except one. David Hopkirk walks into the West End Spiritualist church in Glasgow and slits his own throat in the middle of a demonstration. But why?
Patrick is then catapulted into a case, which sees the death of a child, a failed court case and a family torn apart.
Soon Patrick will have all the pieces of the puzzle but will he be able to fit them together in time?
The next instalment of this chilling new series is now available: Beyond Evidence
Screen Gems / Ghost House Pictures / Senator International / Pacific Renaissance Pictures Ltd, : Screen Gems / United International Pictures
6.75 / 10
I've heard this film is the remake of the 1980's video nasty,, though it has a different, and better, storyline to boot. So if you've let that put you off watching this film stop right now.
Here you have the story of Tim, (a hit and miss performance by Barry Watson) who suffers mental stress due to strange events in his childhood, where he believes the demon in the closet took his father. When his mother passes he has to sell the family home, which his uncle is kindly refurbishing.
On the whole, this is an okay movie, though at the time of release I hated it. My newfound acceptance could be due to the lack of good horror on offer today; or worst yet, I've grown accustomed to the bad elements of this style of horror film which today's directors use in overabundance - such as the swooping camera's and crescendo sounds to startle not scare.
The thing I loved most was the demon, though the director, Stephen Kay, should have left the CGI alone; it was mainly the essence of the demon I loved, thank you Eric Kripke who wrote the story and screenplay. Being able to travel anywhere and to any time through the wardrobe gives the viewer the feeling of distortion and unease; this ability also gives the demon great power. The thought of him also being able to take any shape, for Tim, it was the zombie model he used to have by his bedside, is chilling - what would he look like for you?
Though most of the camera work is used to create action I did like the creepy segment where Tim meets his old friend and neighbour Kate (played by Bones, oh sorry, Emily Deschanel). This is a brilliantly filmed piece and flows so smoothly, in the age of shakey-cam I loved it.
Also, the appearance of Franny, played really well by Skye McCole Bartusaik, was a great hook in the story... a secondary person who had seen the Boogeyman.
There's quite a bit of story weaved into this hour and a half film, enough to keep you engaged, and if you like your horror to be at a break-neck pace then this should be right up your street. This could have been so much better though. There are times when Kay creates a spooky atmosphere, which is a great thing as the Boogeyman is about instilling fear into children. This is the way the film should have progressed instead of going the action and assault route.
This is better than quite a few horror films around today so if it's on telly or cable then you could do worse than giving it a viewing.
This is a special movie, not just because it's a brilliant and original horror movie, but because of the story behind the making of the film.
The writer and director Andrew Getty started this film back in 2002 when it was titled "The Storyteller" and was released in 2017 under the current title, two years after Getty's death due to an ulcer causing internal bleeding. This is a shame as he spent so much money on the project and wasn't around to see his creation brought to life... or take credit for it.
The story is about a mentally handicapped man, Dennis (expertly portrayed by Frederick Koehler), living in his brother's, John (Sean Patrick Flannery), care. Dennis is plagued by twisted and dark nightmares for which a tall grey man claims responsibility. Then one day John and his girlfriend, Lydia (Dina Meyer) bring home a mirror for Dennis' bedroom. Dennis hates the mirror as he doesn't want to loose his hamsters like he's lost his comic collection. However, his decision changes when his reflection starts talking to him and offers him a way to get better... to get smarter...
It was the trailer that had me salivating at the thought of watching the film. However, be aware the movie isn't how it looks on the trailer. Instead of an exciting run-of-the-mill horror what Getty gives his audience is a deep and powerful insight into the human psyche and not just through Dennis, but all of the other characters have some kind of dysfunction. John is hiding a secret. Lydia has relationship issues. Even Pete (Tim Bagley) - who is only in the film a few minutes - hates people touching him and invading his person space.
The film can even be taken a couple of ways. It could be a very dark psychological thriller or it could be a supernatural entity possession, making it a horror. It works in either genre.
The star of the show is Frederick Koehler as Dennis. He is brilliant at portraying the character, giving him facial ticks, body form, hand gestures, and a speech impediment. His acting is really believable and draws the audience into the film more. However, it's Flannery's and Meyer's characters that appear flat at times, a little too dimensional and wooden; I think this may be the characters they were playing or the direction at the time of the scenes, as both of them are good actors. It just jars the mood and atmosphere at times and this is a bad thing as the movie depends on mood and atmosphere, which Getty builds beautifully. It's also great to see Michael Berryman again.
This film reminds me of Phantasm in its essence and spirit, and like Phantasm I will gladly watch this film again... and again... and, probably, again... There are a lot of interesting and well thought out concepts in this story, which should send a chill down your spine. However, if you prefer shock horror over creepy and atmospheric then this probably won't be your cup of tea.
This is a strange film as I really wanted to rate it more than the 6.5 I have, however, I just cannot as the movie could have been a lot better than it was. There is an excellent cast with Barbara Crampton as the lead role, Anne Sacchetti. The actors give a good performance, but what the movie suffers from are the long panoramic shots, and I mean long as in a time sense. I know that they are there to build atmosphere and give the viewer a sense of the location but the director stays on the shot for too long. This has the effect of slowing the movie down and gives it a disjointed feeling.
Then there is the bar come restaurant scene where everybody stops eating and watches the newbies enter the restaurant. I think the director was going for ominous, but for me, it was ludicrously silly and only helped in lessening the film's power. The scene should have hit the cutting room floor.
Then there is the soundtrack, which to say the least, is strange, especially in respect to the movie and the story. It is set of psychedelic pop tracks that do not match mood or style.
All this said, there is something that draws you to the film. The special effects are superb, from the ghostly shadow figures to the continually smouldering skin of the burn victims, which is beautiful in its own way. When the strange events occur the director, Ted Geoghegan does an admirable job of building a spooky air and tension.
And if you like your gore then if you wait until the movie's climax you will have your fill. There are some really good deaths and one really realistic one.
Usually, when I rate so low I don't recommend the film at all. This time I recommend the movie to all horror movie watchers but with the warning that you will need to stay with it and to ignore the bad bits.
I enjoyed the film, in all its strangeness. In honesty, I don't know if this is the film that the director wanted. If it is, then he was trying something new and original, which is to be commended, though with this project I don't believe it worked too well.
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A chilling new suspense novella.
