Director: Damian McCarthy
Year: 2024
Country: Ireland/USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
Taking on a new job, a woman is brought to a strange cabin that holds special keys to the paranormal world she’s hoping to unlock, but as she stays there working with her skills she finds the connection goes deeper into the spirit world than she expected and comes to haunt those around her.
Review:
This was a far more troubling effort than it should’ve been. Among the main positives to be had is the chilling and unnerving atmosphere brought about here that takes full advantage of the creepy location and setup. The first half talks about the various events and history that have taken place at the house, making it a perfect place for her to find the piece of evidence she needs to complete her work on the theory about what’s going on that gets unraveled the more time spent there. As it eventually includes a fantastic series of reveals about the secrets kept by the spirit world and how they threaten to come to the surface through the constant interactions inside the house from the discovery of hidden family relations and darker beings than they expected at the root of everything, this setup allows for an immensely intriguing setup that comes about her to give this some intriguing enough elements.
There are some big issues here that hold this one back. One of the main drawbacks is the immensely underwhelming and draining pacing that keeps this one from gaining momentum. This is caused not only by the fact that it starts with a bunch of confusing and unexplained actions involving what’s drawing her to the house and how her own paranormal experiences have shaped the need for exploring the property but also the extremely sluggish manner in which this brings them all along. The setup involving the backstory about the ghost haunting the particular house and the struggle to prove it exists which brings her out to the house would all be fine if it moved along at a far quicker tempo and pace which is accomplished by such dreary and plodding conversations the energy is completely sapped before it has a chance to do anything.
The other issue with this one is the series of reveals that come about here pointing to the guilty party which means a series of plans that come together with little thought behind them. The whole idea of trying to cover up the murder of a family member with a psychic medium who’s also the victim’s twin sister is all sorts of stupid that there’s little reason why this one tries to present the issue as it does with it being quite obvious who did it and what’s going on from the very start. As well, the other issue here is the limp and weak ending that comes about here with everything taking place in such a low-key manner with how it’s played out that there’s very little that comes off as enjoyable with it feeling like it ends merely because there’s no more time left in the film with how abrupt it ends. These all manage to be what hold this one down the most.
Overview: **.5/5
A problematic genre effort even if there are some likable factors, this one comes off as a disappointing genre effort from what it could’ve been as the positives aren’t that enjoyable. Those who are fine with these factors or are curious about it will still want to give it a shot but most others out there will want to heed caution with this one.
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