Nocturne (2016) by Stephen Shimek

Director: Stephen Shimek
Year: 2016
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Possession

Plot:
Arriving at a friends' house, a disturbed teen joins in with others to play with an ouija board only for a series of secrets to emerge from the group which leads to a somewhat sinister supernatural presence to start in killing them off and forces them to fight it off to get away alive.

Review:

This was an incredibly disappointing and banal supernatural effort. Among the few noteworthy parts here is the fact that the film really lets loose with some solid supernatural tricks when it decides to play with them. While completely predictable, the seance sequence where they get wind of all the different secrets amongst everyone and the first signs of the possession taking place gives this one the type of setup that nicely leads into the antics later on which really push this one along. Admittedly clever tactics, from the repeating of the entire conversation as it's happening between multiple people to the convulsing and fake deaths all letting this one go even crazier in the final half with not only the full extent of the secrets being revealed but also the supernatural action coming into play. This one certainly gets crazier the longer it goes on as the film offers up some rather chilling scenes that show the demonic influence at work with the numerous self-inflicted situations that come up to torment everyone, from encounters with ghostly figures from their past to being forced to mutilate themselves and all the more chilling as it plays out.

The cast here is quite exciting and offers plenty to like here. Clare Niederpruem is a great lead as the troubled Jo. Reluctant to actually go to the party, she becomes the focal point here with a lot of the focus in the final half to come against her and her choices which makes her an appealing final girl. Hailey Nebeker nearly steals the film as Maren due to several tricks she performs in the party. The repetition trick she does several times out is impressive, and there are a few solid moments throughout here that showcase a veritable range she can hit is quite appealing. Darien Willardson is somewhat impressive as Isaac, the jock hosting the party. Looking like the typical self-serving type that's more concerned about themselves, he offers a few solid chances at redemption throughout here while still being somewhat aggravating due to his past. The rest of the cast isn't bad and certainly hold their own alongside these impressive as well. These here are what manages to really hold this one up as it does have a few massive flaws.

The main issue with the film is the sheer boringness of the film as a whole since barely anything happens at all here. Since so much of the film is based on them partying in the house and hanging out together, barely anything horror-related happens for until the midway point and it's not until even later that anyone even catches onto the ploy. This here really takes so long to get going by featuring this uninteresting group of people that it never really generates much interest with them simply playing around with each other around the house which never works all that much here. As well, there's no reason for the possession to come about here as it's rather curious as to why this one goes in that fashion. Nothing ever really comes about due to her getting that way, this never does offer a reason why it happens or why it's the specific individual and the whole concept here does have some big credibility issues. The other issue here comes from the circular ending, which is a complete cop-out and signifies that there was no real idea how to end this as the tactic is confusing and completely underscores what had happened before. It has its moments, but overall this one has some big flaws.

Overview: **/5
While it has some rather intriguing elements throughout here, overall it does have a few missing pieces which are enough to really hold this one back from what it could've been given it's high potential. Give this a shot if you're into these slow-moving low-budget indie fare or find this one intriguing on the premise, while those burnt out on these supernatural efforts should heed caution with this one.

Trivia/Notes: