Director: Daniel Florenzano
Year: 2020
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
After discovering a strange statue on the beach, a group of friends becomes slaves to a malevolent entity looking for new souls to harvest in order to resurrect himself, and when their activities alert a detective about their intentions to stage a murderous party to fulfill it races to stop them.
Review:
This one was generally a pretty enjoyable effort. Among the brighter spot here is the fun way this goes about utilizing the body-hopping spirit possessing the group of friends at the center of the storyline. From the opening assault on the beach, where they find the statue and become affected by the spirit which leads into a series of graphic deaths as they begin killing each other off, is a fun time with the unexpected survivors that are in play for the rest of the film. That the fun of this one centering around them then dispatching people around the house who are unaware of their intent or powers gives this a lot to like, with the majority the kills accomplished through a unique process involving the victim believing the weapon they're actually holding is harmless only to discover the truth way too late which brings about some fun scenes here as they rampage through the intruders who house-crash and the police officers sent to investigate the area.
As well, there's a lot to like with the way they handle the upcoming ritual ceremony that's at the center of their preparations. Managing to knock off tons of individuals who wander into the house looking for someone else or fighting off those who try to escape before their plans can come to fruition, this one generates a lot to like with the setup here preparing for the big battle at the end where the party gets underway. Featuring the zombified victims coming to life to interrupt the festivities while they go around collecting the splattered blood for their ceremony, the action here is rather fun and brutal while getting in enough to satisfy the requirements of the ritual. Seeing how that plays out with the blood-pit filled with zombies while all the potential interruptions are dealt with in creative means is enjoyable enough with the final resolution taking place to stop it all, managing to give this some positive aspects to hold it up.
The film does have a few minor issues. One of the bigger problems is the manner of focusing on the friends living in the house and then just stumbling on the random people that come inside. It makes for a weirdly scattered and underwhelming to have the kids stand around in the house figuring out ways to get people inside only to then viciously murder them in graphic means while their boss gloats and gives commands while the police investigate the missing people. It's not the most thrilling or macabre manner of presenting the storyline and renders a lot of the film flat for the most part. The other problem is the low-budget nature of what's going on here, from the laughably unconvincing blood-work being just colored water to a horrible CGI-altered demon figure that looks so cheesy it's impossible to take its commands seriously. These here are what hold this one back for the most part.
Overview: ***/5
While it's got a lot to like about it, this one does have a few disappointing and distressing elements that manage to hold it back enough that it can lower this down just enough. Give it a look if you're a fan of these kinds of efforts or looking for a generally enjoyable indie-style genre film while those turned off the films' flaws should heed caution.
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