A masterclass in low-budget horror
- Host review by NK
Short (at only 57 minutes), but with plenty of tension, jump scares and brutal bloody mayhem. I really enjoyed it.
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Effective horror
- Host review by AER
What do you need from a good horror film? Great acting that sells the fear, a good concept, tension, fear of the unknown and originality (this is optional). This no-budget horror film is highly potent, very effective and works brilliantly within its own confines. The cast are great and convincing, the set-up economical and the concept brilliant. With a running time of less than 1 hour you won't get bored. If you are a horror film fan, you've probably seen a lot of films like this already, it's hardly original but it delivers what it set out bring to you; a ******* scary time.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Gimmicky But Effective Horror
- Host review by GI
An effective enough horror/chiller if you can accept the gimmicky aspects. Director Rob Savage has taken advantage of the Covid 19 lockdown restrictions to make a jump scare horror film based on a 'Zoom' chat. The growth in the use of Zoom during the pandemic made its eventual use as a central idea in a film obvious I suppose and for the most part the film works. I suppose it sits within the sub-genre of found footage and Paranormal Activity type narratives and style and if you like those then this will appeal and it will certainly sit well with the You Tube generation. Much here is a little too predictable and there's a few too many 'what's that behind you' moments but Savage has correctly kept the runtime down to a neat 57 minutes (almost mirroring the 40 min Zoom free chat length). A group of girlfriends and one guy arrange a seance over Zoom run by a medium. Some take it partially seriously and others think it's all a joke and a bit of fun but things go awry when one of them inadvertently summons a vengeful demon. A film that gets you staring at the screen to spot what may or may not be happening in the dark backgrounds but it's a film, I suspect, destined to be forgotten once the reason for it has diminished in people's minds.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Zoom-tastic horror.
- Host review by NP
A found footage-style story elevated to pandemic life, and its need for Zoom conversations and face masks. However, this isn’t about Covid, although it was filmed under the restraints of social distancing etc. This is about six initially irritating friends and how they foolishly and unwittingly release an unfriendly spirit during an online séance. Actually, that’s unfair – Jemma (played by Jemma Moore – yes, the Blair Witch notion of naming characters after the actors is alive and well) is really the culprit, and you could shake her for her stupidity. Token male Teddy (Edward Linyard) is equally moronic in his reaction to what is going on – but without such characters, no drama would be allowed to unfold.
At just shy of 60 minutes, this film never threatens to outstay its welcome. It just has time to introduce us briskly to the characters – all played beautifully, and very naturally. It’s easy to believe they are friends getting together for a good time – and then crack on with scaring us.
With six screens for each character, there’s plenty of opportunity to catch subtle little moments that indicate all is not well. Definitely this is one for repeated viewings. Things don’t remain subtle for long though, and as things get more intense, there are plenty of reasons for the audience to jump out of their seats. Truly unnerving. After a slightly testing beginning as we get to see deeper than the characters’ often annoying personalities, this is a cracker of a film. My score is 8 out of 10.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
Brilliantly original, timely, genuinely creepy scary believable horror flick less than an hour long
- Host review by PV
Ok so the HAUNTING and seance trope has been done MANY times, brilliantly in classics like NIGHT OF THE DEMON (it's in the trees, it's coming, Kate...) or even THE OMEN, but it's always nice to watch a really effective and efficient new attempt.
So timely, bang on the zietgiest, filmed in 2020, entirely consisting of zoom screens - in a very girly Friday night boozy lockdown zoom meeting online. Utterly believable.
Yes it's all hokum, all stuff and nonsense, BUT what horror film is not?
Slick and efficient at less than an hour running times - please take note self-indulgent Hollywood directors of 3 hours borefest yawnsome movies (the average movie length is 2 hoyurs 20 minutes there days; always used to be 90 minutes, which is THE OMEN length).
Do not think about it TOO much, just watch and feel - it is creepy and full of jumps and scares. VERy wisely the director chose not to show too much of the - you know whats.
All about facial expression and tension, expectation.
I loved it actually, Best horror film I have watched for ages. 4.5 stars rounded up.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.