It's been a minute since I posted on this blog, and truth be told there hasn't been much going on in theaters worth writing about, aside from the Only Lovers Left Alive. So the fact this film inspired me to blog about it after a hiatus here, well it says something. A depressing ending makes for a good horror movie. Laughs are cheap. To make some one uncomfortable, claustrophobic or depressed is more of an achievement. This film takes the formula used by the Paranormal Activity films and spins it around in a way that works. Even if you don't normally like found footage films this one is worth a shot. While the acting varies, and some of the effects make the budget appear slightly skimmed, the film some how still manages to work.
Michael King isn't a likable character. He is a jerk, who acts like a dick tracking mediums and occultist down to disprove them. He is a guy with a obvious chip on his shoulder. The typical haunted house element are in place in terms of cast as part of the setting since we have the child and the dog. You would think that when things take a turn against King, it would be a moment you applaud, so they manage to turn that around on you. The documentary element is not new. They way it's handled is smart and works with the final product.
This is not an exorcism movie. He does try to exorcise himself and goes to a priest, but gets a door slammed shut in his face. Not to say it doesn't play off of some of the recent exorcism staples, such as the contortionist bone cracking, but this is done after he hand cuffs himself to the bed in order to get some sleep. In some ways this reminds me of the depiction shown in the Amityville Horror sequel, an under rated movie, even with the Flowers in the Attic elements. Though he does have a good creepy scene with his girl friend who is asleep in bed.
There is minimal what I would consider gore, he does some self mutilation and people die, most of the violence is off screen leaving the damage psychological. Sure they go for some jump scares, that are loud electronic noise and jarring static manipulations to the film, but cgi is minimal for the most part. As far as this sort of thing goes, and I am a big fan of this sort of thing, I would say it falls short of the Last Exorcism, but is better than it's sequel. Not as tense as the Last Exorcism, but you do fear for his family, particularly when shit goes down at the end. Not all the scares are saved for the end, they don't linger to long on the build.
The only flaws in the movie really came from budget issues, but when has that not been a problem with the genre as a whole, I don't really place the blame on the producers of this film as they worked with what they were given and made the best of it. Sure, some of the occult elements are over blown and ridiculous, but if you are looking to horror movie for accuracy in that department, you are much more likely going to find it on the History Channel.
There could also be an argument either for or against Shane Johnson's acting in the lead role. His resume boasts more t.v. than film, but I think he got the job done and really went for it even if it might have come across as over acting at times. The character struck me as coming from that guy you have to hate because he is a cocky jerk, not unlike Micah from the Paranormal Activity films. In the end you kind of feel for him when he see's he has bitten off more than he can chew and is getting doors slammed in his face as his karma becomes the real demon that is haunting him.
