Director: Andy Mitton
Year: 2018
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Witchcraft
Plot:
Taking a trip into up North, a father and his young son intending to use the trip to flip a property he owns into a bonding experience between them, but as they begin to fix up the house a series of strange events causes them to believe that the locals' witch stories might be real.
Review:
This wasn't all that bad of an effort. One of the strongest points of this one is the rather fine way this dives into the family dynamics between the two which is at the heart of the film. As the opening shots of this immediately giving us the idea of a strained relationship at the heart of the film, from their inability to really get an idea of each others' likes and dislikes or the outright disapproval of their trip which is further enhanced by the events showcased once they arrive. Although you can tell it picks up nicely between them as the two do develop a somewhat closer bond over time, the fact that we still get to see him blow up at the kid for totally unwarranted situations still manages to ring true here. Most of the events in the second half where it becomes far more obvious that something's in the house with them all stem from the idea of trying to protect the kid which gives them far more potency and impact.
Once that occurs, this one picks up rather nicely with the fine ability to showcase some really enjoyable scenes here. The early idea of the haunted farmhouse, from them hearing rattling in the walls or in the basement to the boxes being found in different places than where they left them really help to give this a strong atmosphere already before it even brings up the ghostly legend of the area. That helps to tie into the freaky sequences in the second half, where they actually encounter it sitting in the chair in the fabled room unresponsive to anything and then chasing them out of the house in one of the better scenes in here. Another rapid-fire series of scenes in the final half twisting around a tender moment between them is a fine jump, and the melancholia of the ending is certainly well-deserved.
Being a two-person show, the leads here are commendably enjoyable. Alex Draper as father Simon is outstanding in the role, coming off as the caring father with a troubled past well. Truly committed to using the effort to bond with his son and trying to get closer with him as he keeps getting called out for the mistakes he's making, this is a nicely naturalistic performance that earns him quite a lot of nice, quiet moments. Charlie Tacker as son Finn isn't as memorable but he holds his own with him as the son trying to get his father to be honest and tell the truth about him. The growth they experience makes their plight rather engaging to watch and they build themselves up over the course of the film. As well as the great location-work to make the house itself seem creepy and foreboding in it's unassuming matter, these here work nicely to hold this up over it's flaws.
The main problem to be had here is the rather obvious low-key approach to the material that can turn some off. This isn't explosive or action-packed in the slightest, even with the shortened running time as the family drama over the first half is the main focus of the film. Taking on more of bonding, reconnecting style of presentation rather than going for more of a horror atmosphere that could've been developed with the idea of the witch haunting the house. The lack of real supernatural demonstrations and overt witchcraft dealings that most normally expect in such efforts are totally missing here and somewhat stall this one from what it could've offered which isn't a detriment to the film at all for that might be a positive in some regards. Still, it's an overriding issue here and one that should be brought up.
Overview: ****/5
While it has some minor issues with the rather obvious horror elements being kept in check by the low-key approach of this one, but beyond that there's a lot to like here in the other areas. Give this one a watch if you're a fan of the creative sides' other works or enjoy these quiet drama/horrors of recent vintage, while those who absolutely can't stand those kinds of efforts should definitely heed caution.
This ran as part of our coverage of the 2018 Fantasia Festival series of review.
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