Movie Thoughts Bundle (2014) #2

In this collection of short reviews, we’ll explore the year 2014 where the found footage genre continues its "peaks and valleys" track record, various horror titles miss the mark on promising concepts, and something cinematically experimental makes its presence known.

1. The Pyramid - 3/10

Those of you who've kept up with my reviews may know that I am no stranger to cheaply made found footage horror films as I seem to come across them quite often. Going into The Pyramid, I had little to no expectations whatsoever, but I was to some extent hoping for something interesting and suspenseful within the atmosphere of the titular setting. With "As Above, So Below" (another horror film with a similar concept) coming to mind, I'm remembering how the filmmakers managed to at least utilized the environment to capture the viewer's interest before presenting its awfully executed jump scares in the end. Unfortunately for The Pyramid, director Grégory Levasseur skipped out on the perfect opportunity to utilize what could've been the greatest strength going for this movie...the actual pyramid. 

The potentially tension smothering and imagination exploiting feeling that the audience could've had as they traversed this dark and mysterious setting alongside the characters would've made for an exceptional cinematic experience. Instead, what we're given here is a terribly executed creature feature that almost completely misses the mark on its promising horror and storytelling component. Not only do the creatures look glaringly fake, but there's no real effective build up to their introduction whatsoever. What's even worst is that mostly everything else surrounding the monster horror hook factor is easily forgettable and sadly uninteresting. The best part of the movie ironically takes place outside of the pyramid where the tension felt real and the less than mediocre performances were easily clouded by the setting. Guys, skip this one like the plague.

2. The Damned - 4/10

The Damned (aka "Gallows Hill") is an indie horror film that only a small handful of people saw which honestly isn't necessarily a terrible thing all things considered. The concept is somewhat unique and interesting, yet something that we've seen executed plenty of times in various forms. The film surrounds a group of friends who become stranded during a massive storm forcing them to take shelter in a nearby home that holds something sinister in the form of a trapped little girl. The premise certainly has the potential to make for an entertaining supernatural-horror roller coaster ride of suspense. However, in the wrong hands, this can just as easily become a forgettable and uneventful movie experience which is exactly what happens here.

First off, the pacing of this movie's sequence of events is very problematic and has a major effect on any suspension of disbelief. Characters quickly rush into action regarding strange and uncommon situations without naturally trying to process the bizarre nature of what's happening. It also doesn't help that the performances are far below serviceable resulting in a tedious watch through and a cast that doesn't inspire any emotional connection. The only saving grace was the central heavily rained upon and flooded setting creating an overall foreboding and mysterious atmosphere which I really admired. Unfortunately, despite having a great environment and tone to play around in to enhance its disturbing and psychologically unnerving concept, The Damned does absolutely nothing to live up to its potential.

3. The Sacrament - 6/10

Based on the real-life events of the Jonestown Massacre of 1978, this found footage horror film was kind of an interesting one for me due to its premise. The best way that I can describe it is to call it a travel channel or history channel documentary/rescue mission gone wrong due to its production element. The fact that these characters are portraying a professional documentary crew trying to unveil and record the world of a mysterious commune that one of the member's sister got involved with was intriguing to me. I was getting hints of every great cult related horror story that I've seen told in the past. The potential for effective psychological scares and visually striking imagery shown through the adrenaline rushing prism of found footage was perfectly laid out on the table with this concept. So, how does The Sacrament live up to its foundation? 

As far as positive highlights go, I will say that the actual "found footage" component was done fairly well with the documentary crew having genuine feeling reactions to events taking place. There's also the central antagonist, "Father", played with an amazing performance by Gene Jones. The elusiveness and mystery surrounding this cult leader figure is handled with precision due to an impactful sense of suspense during particular scenes. Every time he speaks (especially during an effectively tensed interview scene), there's this immediate disarming sense of uneasiness surrounding his surface-wise inspiring presence that truly stole the show. The biggest problem with this movie however comes with a lack of time and development given to the characters resulting in "the big climactic tragedy" feeling slightly hollow.

4. The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears - 8/10

When speaking about films as a visual art form, The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears is without a doubt one of the most beautifully crafted films that I have ever experienced thus far. Every single shot of the film felt like it warranted pausing and discussing which is why I couldn't possibly do a full review here. The film is quite bold in its storytelling and pacing as it constantly sends the audience in a whirlwind of questioning, but I do believe the primary focus is in its artistic style. This is a very stylistic film that is certainly not for everyone considering what mainstream audiences are used to and the directional approach that is displayed here. However, if you're looking for something different that cinematically allures the senses (the sound design and music is brilliantly crafted here), then treat yourself to this artistic joyride of a horror- mystery thriller.

Unfortunately, I do have to emphasize just how very off-putting this film can come across to filmgoers not fully comfortable with this style. Filmgoers...like myself. There were moments that had me contemplating over whether or not it was worth staying through the entire runtime due to its very bizarre nature (which I'm usually attracted to with smaller indie films like these). However, as I mentioned before, it's all about the psychedelic visual experience surrounding what amounts to a missing persons case and whether or not your eyes can handle the strange imagery constantly being thrown at you. Enter with caution, throw your expectations out the door, and you might find something special and brilliant or completely disorienting and horrendous.