Director: Michael Pickle
Year: 2026
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural Slasher
Plot:
Following his grandmother’s death, a teen begins to get bullied and tormented by his classmates at school even more than usual, to the point that he begins seeing a spectral being manifest around him, urging him to kill and forcing those around him to stop him before he snaps.
Review:
Overall, this was a fairly fun and likable genre effort. Among the better elements found here is a rather intriguing and impactful storyline that manages to provide a generally fun take on the type of demonic temptation storyline that this initially appears to be. The initial starting point, from the troubled life at home with his struggling family and their issues, as well as the encounters with the various classmates who are trying to bully and torment him, presents this with an impressive starting point to allow the supernatural figure to come into his life. Everything is given a solid enough time to breathe and play out so that his gradual descent into depression and instability makes sense to those around him, as his outbursts and unnatural behavior have enough groundwork behind them to set up a solid starting point.
This is all added together nicely with the kind of temptation and corruption moments, with the spirit forcing him into compromising positions through the suggestions and threats he presents. The psychological mind-games he has, from appearing before him while no one else can see him, changing his appearance from a normal human into a deformed figure, and the whispered voices growing increasingly more demonstrative as he goes on, eventually turning the encounters into a full-blown slasher in the final half. Taking the inspiration into a full-on psychotic route involving a rampage against the students at school and at home, taking out everyone in a series of solid shock ambushes, which bring about some great kills and gore as a result, and giving this enough to really like.
There are a few issues here that hold this one down. The biggest drawback to the film is the overlong and formulaic series of bullying that goes on at the beginning to try to paint him as the outsider at the school. This is quite difficult to believe would go on undetected with the amount of physical confrontations and beatdowns that take place between the group and him, as they make it plainly obvious what’s going on through the numerous outbursts that take place about what they’re actually doing, and nothing is done about it. This comes across with the usual formula of bullying as well, with name-calling, spilling food on him, and physical beating that borders on actual crimes, which, as mentioned, go so beyond the point of normality that it makes the first half feel too long to get going beyond this point, so the structure of the second half is rushed, and with some low-budget limitations in place, are what hold this one back slightly.
Overview: ****/5
An immensely likable and effective genre effort, there are plenty of worthwhile factors to this one that hold it up over a few minor drawbacks present here. Those who are curious about it, who enjoy this kind of genre fare, or who are fans of the creative crew will have a lot to like here, while most others out there should heed caution.
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