Director: Isaac Rodriquez
Year: 2022
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
After going missing on-duty, a policeman's wife begins looking into the truth behind the incident which soon leads to a dead-end, and just when she's about to give up finds new clues to his whereabouts and presses on again eventually uncovering a dark supernatural folklorish being hunting her.
Review:
Overall, this was a highly effective and enjoyable effort. Among the better features here is the rather fun mystery setup which gets this one rolling. While the nature of the disappearance while on patrol is fine enough, the ensuing locked-down nature of the investigation, the lack of answers from the police officers as well as the various suspects they interview, and the aftermath of their initial investigation hitting a dead-end create the kind of fun starting stages of a terrifying mystery. As it's only logical to see this and want to quit, the fun way it gets brought back into play with the leaked tapes and audio recordings pile the creepiness up nicely.
This is all amplified by the uncovering of the police footage which is all quite fun and chilling. The first-person perspective of the footage, detailing another officer encountering the followers of the cult before meeting their end, and a secondary tape featuring her husband surviving an encounter with others in the Shaman sect is both gruesome and quite chilling. The series of revelations that arise here, following up the strange being from Native American folklore and the various stories that come about involving malicious witches hunting others which comes about through a generally fun encounter that sets up the full power of the being they're following.
As well, the big finale here, providing their return to the asylum and encountering all manner of paranormal activity, makes this a genuinely creepy and unnerving part of the film. With some rather effective features here involving the time displacement, the trail of water bottles suddenly appearing, and the tape recorder all altering the reality of what's going on, the whole of the scene comes off as a series of quite chilling moments leading to the big confrontation with the witch's spirit still haunting the hospital and what transpires there. This is all quite likable and chilling which ends this on a creepy note and gives this a lot to like about it.
There are some issues with this one. The main drawback with the film is the rather flimsy and contrived nature of the way she tries investigating the incident but comes up short. Seeing the failure first-hand without any leads, means of ensuring access to anyone, or even just getting their hands on classified material from the incident all make no sense and just drag the first half out instead of shortcutting through the events to get the point across. That, in turn, brings about the other factor here in the rushed finale that never really tells the story of the connection between the witch haunting the area and what's going on as it's all so rushed that little is made clear or explained. Still, these are all that hold this one down.
Overview: ***.5/5
Highly enjoyable and creepy enough found-footage effort, this one brings about enough positive points in its setup and approach that it manages to overcome the minor flaws on display. Give this a look if you're a fan of these kinds of found-footage/mockumentary features, appreciate the positives, or find this one intriguing, while only those put off by the style and approach should heed caution.
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