Director: David Creed
Year: 2021
Country: United Kingdom
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
After heading out on a holiday, a group of girlfriends arrive at a secluded house in the countryside and witness an interesting ritual nearby celebrating a pagan deity, and after joining in find themselves subjected to terrifying attacks from supernatural means and must try to stop it from continuing.
Review:
This was a pretty decent if somewhat flawed genre effort. When this one works best is due to the rather fun supernatural antics that come about once they get to the ceremonial processions. Seeing all the setup to get them to the cottage works to generate a fun starting point to where their antics when they arrive at the ceremonial gathering in the woods offers the changeover from normal reality into this more supernatural attribute. The way it plays out, from the gregarious dancing, singing and body-painting that signals all the various tricks they use to start tormenting the girls later on that comes about because of the fun manner we see the congregation interact to start this off.
When it gets to the group getting affected by the supernatural visions, this one really comes off with some great scenes to further that idea. The opening scene of the figure gradually getting more flames erupting from their body which turns into a full-on burning body while trying to escape gives this a great idea of what’s to come later on which is quite fun. The series of hallucinations that they experience, from their body breaking out in blisters and wrinkles to getting attacked by vicious dogs that aren’t there and even worse that hide the series of accidents that offer up some pretty gruesome incidents in some rather exciting scenarios. Given the overall quick pacing this utilizes due to its length, there are some enjoyable elements to be had here.
There are a few minor problems that hold this one back. The major issue is the overall lack of information about the cult and what their intentions are all about. Since there’s never any conversations about what they are or what the ceremony is all about beyond a vague mention of their deity, the entire purpose of what they’re attempting to accomplish is a complete mystery. This could’ve been explained in the finale where everything is set up to be revealed but instead nothing happens, which is a major opportunity wasted not only with the complete lack of information about what’s going on but the action itself is highly underwhelming with nothing special happening for what should be the grand conclusion to everything. These aspects drive the film down for the most part.
Overview: ***/5
As it misses out on one of the more notable elements of what makes this type of film enjoyable, there are some enjoyable elements on display even though this one does come with some detrimental factors to hold it back. Give it a look if you’re intrigued by the setup or a fan of this kind of effort while most others will find this one as a lesser offering due to its issues.
Comments
Post a Comment