Director: Daniel J. Phillips
Year: 2026
Country: Australia
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
After a series of strange outbursts, a woman is convinced to return to the abandoned land where the Mormon Church that raised her still resides, so that her old memories of what happened can be unlocked, bringing them into contact with a demonic force on the land.
Review:
For the most part, this was a fairly enjoyable genre effort. Among the better elements of this one is the engrossing and sympathetic starting point, where the whole thing can come about rather naturally. The initial points here involving the bizarre behavior she exhibits while staying at home, from the blackouts to the strange digging in the backyard and even killing pets, that point her therapist to try sending her back to the Mormon compound that still stands where she was raised years ago so that her fractured memory can start to come together and can move on in life that makes for a rather strong starting point. The few bits left over from her previous life, including the knowledge about baptismal rites and the various sacrificial offerings she had to practice to stay in good standing with the leaders of the church that was imposed upon her, sets up the plight of the journey back to the camp with her boyfriend and another friend with her so there's an appropriate starting place to get them back to the compound.
Once there, the mix of background knowledge she imparts on the different aspects of the religion slowly begins flowing through her mind. The different bits of background information we get here, exploring the main purpose of the reflecting pond that everyone was forced into as a sacrifice for new members to be accepted into the Church, the pictures left behind that help spur her memory of her past relationship with the women there with her, and the various rituals the couple perform while under the guise of helping her try to get closer to the spirit world they preach as a whole, all create the kind of in-depth knowledge of the folklore behind the Church. There's plenty of atmospheric touches throughout the camp and surrounding woods as a result of this building, offering up some solid hallucinations during the trip, leading to some chilling revelations that come about her past and how she came to forget what happened once they all get brought up.
That leads into the great finale, where it turns the series of revelations into a darker outcome involving the figure lording over the camp, controlling her. This gives off the strange kind of eerie final revelation that comes about rather nicely regarding the figure haunting the grounds, as when she turns into the demonic, possessed figure, the action turns into far more overt supernatural material. Ripping others to pieces, flying through the air, and turning into the kind of all-powerful figure that normal possessions focus on gives everything a dark touch that allows the rabid action to be far more impactful compared to the more downbeat first half, which is all about building up to this particular part of the film. As this also includes the great make-up work on the possessed victim, as the spilling ooze and stretch marks that usually denote demonic activity come across really well, there's a lot to like here that holds this one up overall.
There are a few drawbacks to this one that keep it down. The main issue with this one is the overlong setup that spends a lot of the first hour bringing her around the camp and looking to get into her past, which manages to drag this down far more than it should. The endless scenes of them walking around trying to focus on the events of the past, why she forgot everything about being there, and the relationship dynamics at play, which are constantly being brought up when they're together, all drag this out far more than it should. That there's also some really troublesome tactics here to keep them at the compound so everything can be discovered is another big issue, as not only is there a lack of action trying to build this up for that dragging pace, but it also comes with the kind of infuriating setups that keep this going since they're always ignoring common sense to stay there when they shouldn't. That's quite hard to understand, and this brings the film down slightly as a result.
Overview: ****/5
An immensely effective and likable genre effort, this one has a lot to enjoy about it and comes off incredibly well, with only a few slight drawbacks here that bring this one down. Those with an appreciation for this style attempted here or who are curious about it will have the most to like here, while most others out there should heed caution here.
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