Echoes of Fear

Echoes of Fear : After her grandfather dies in a bathroom fall, Alysa (Trista Robinson) inherits his house and prepares it for sale. Strange noises and movements start to disturb her. A bathtub is blocked but a plumber is scared off when he tries to fix it. Whenever it looks as if the there is a rational explanation for the events things turn weirder, Alysa has strange visions and dreams, she sees creatures. A deceptive tale which reels you in only to change course. A few plot twists which will make you reconsider the narrative you are observing. While most of the horror is psychological there are some violent and disturbing scenes including a sword stick being put to good use and a couple of stranglings . Not a great horror film but it's certainly worth watching. Directed by Brian Avenet-Bradley and Laurence Avenet-Bradley, written by Brian Avenet-Bradley. On the Horror Channel. 6.5/10.

Starts out as a relatively conventional haunted house full of ghosts, then turns into something more. Lots of jumps, creepy images, and nerve racking twists.

A young woman called Alysa (played by Trista Robinson, who has the voice of a young child, this was pretty annoying!) inherits her late grandfather's large house. She moves in with a view to selling it but almost immediately spooky things start to happen, including a creepy cookie jar, the top of which moves by itself. About half an hour we and we get our first supernatural jump scare, I'm man enough to admit this and the following one did work on me. However, they soon became ineffective. What appealed to me about this movie is that the ghosts are only half the horror, in fact if anything they are the goods guys, despite looking "scary". The real horror is much more real, as her best friend says "Whatever this is it's way beyond ghosts!". The film has a fairly small cast which includes an elderly man living next door who is a chain smoker despite being attached to a portable oxygen tank, and a delightful pet mouse, rightfully given a credit (Twikie and Twixie). There are some obviously fake reviews on here giving it 10/10 but in a sea of mediocre horror movies this one was slightly better than average. I'd not watch it again but I found it a satisfying watch.

The story, at its core is a great- conceptually. It takes the basics of a creepy, haunted house tale and layers in a couple of complexities that heightens the interest level. . For most of what "Echoes Of Fear" is, it is really chilling, dark and well directed. There is some moments when expositional stuff feels forced. At times line delivery weakens story momentum.

The inconsistency is only barely noticeable, and for the most part the film is strong. The acting is good, at times great. The characters are developed and the cast never take them too far into 'theatrics'. It is obvious this is ultra indie work, still Brian and Laurence Avenet-Bradley create a cool, atmospheric thriller.

The horror elements are a mix of traditional haunted house tropes, chilling visual scenes and very dark subject matter. Most of the gimmicks are practical effects with expected CGI work. It all is well controlled, purposeful and affective. The jump scares are genuine moments and just going along with the main character uncovering such a disturbing past is horror done right.

Overall "Echoes Of Fear" has more to like than I initially expected. It isn't sensationalized for the sake of sensationalism, but it keeps a chilling, "this house possessed" attitude from start to finish. The paranormal tricks used look good, the build up of suspense and tension is gripping. There are a couple of minor issues with some of the writing- the ones I mentioned earlier but definitely check this one out if paranormal horror is your thing.

Conceptually it was brilliant. However the acting and cringe dialogue let it down quite abit.

There were a few good jump scares but it's not a scary movie in my opinion, it was more of a suspense/mystery movie with some frights.

Overall, I did enjoy the movie and I'd recommend if you have nothing else to watch.