This was an interesting little gem of a horror film. The acting was great, it was decently edited, and overall I would say that it was a pretty well crafted flick. While I am sure that it was shot on a very low budget based on how many of the shots were tightly framed on actors this actually helped play into the psychological elements, as other reviewers pointed out, gave it a claustrophobic feeling. The low budget didn't seem too noticeable when it came to the visual effects as well. What practical effects were utilized were highly effective and actually made me squirm a few times, while its CG effects looked relatively seamless. While sort of a minor thing to point out I really did appreciate its effort in crafting the main characters, particularly Claire. I've watched many low/micro- budget horror films over the years and you'd be surprised at how many of them fail to even accomplish something as basic as this.
My issues with the film lie largely in its structure and plotting. being a slow burn, one would expect it to unravel at a certain pace, but there were moments where the film dragged to an excruciating crawl, or without warning sped up way too rapidly, as well as scenes that would have been better placed much earlier in the film. I don't want to give any spoilers or dive too far into the plot because this is a film that works better the less you know going into it, but when its payoff was unveiled It didn't really work for me.The exposition was rushed out in an unnatural way, and logistically it didn't make too much sense. instead of resolving issues it just created more. Also the score was really bad in some parts. There is a scene that clearly lifts the main theme from Tony Scott's True Romance and makes a few minor tweaks to make it different enough but it completely took me out of the film for the entirety of that scene.
I don't think a film should solely be judged by its ending which is why I would still recommend this. It has some truly effective scenes, and does work as a psychological horror film for the most part. Overall, I was impressed, this feels like a stepping stone towards something better, and I look forward to James Cullen Bressack's next effort.
My issues with the film lie largely in its structure and plotting. being a slow burn, one would expect it to unravel at a certain pace, but there were moments where the film dragged to an excruciating crawl, or without warning sped up way too rapidly, as well as scenes that would have been better placed much earlier in the film. I don't want to give any spoilers or dive too far into the plot because this is a film that works better the less you know going into it, but when its payoff was unveiled It didn't really work for me.The exposition was rushed out in an unnatural way, and logistically it didn't make too much sense. instead of resolving issues it just created more. Also the score was really bad in some parts. There is a scene that clearly lifts the main theme from Tony Scott's True Romance and makes a few minor tweaks to make it different enough but it completely took me out of the film for the entirety of that scene.
I don't think a film should solely be judged by its ending which is why I would still recommend this. It has some truly effective scenes, and does work as a psychological horror film for the most part. Overall, I was impressed, this feels like a stepping stone towards something better, and I look forward to James Cullen Bressack's next effort.