Doctor Mabuse

as the movie began , I thought, hmmm...I am now in a theater, in Europe , in the early 30's...then i started looking for reference points, Ed Wood, David Lynch, Fritz Lang, Tarhovsky,Dan Curtis...but by then I was lost at sea with Mabuse and Ansal Faraj and I was scared. ..and amazed..I had never seen such a film!But I was captivated with the ever growing sense of DREAD, mind control, grief, and utter helplessness...aspects of my life were mirrored, all the actors were committed to the unfolding horror...a filmic Greek Tragedy...not for the faint of heart. Lacy, Scott, Parker , all excellent in their new reincarnations. It seems Dark Shadows lives again, in parallel time, in the brilliant fearlessness of young director, Ansal Faraj.

This film merged old school acting techniques with new film making! Strong characters, great script and an amazing score are among the best features of this film. Ansel shows that with determination and a strong cast - his ideas can come alive even on a limited budget.

Favorites in the film are Jerry Lacy and the late Linden Chiles with effortless, natural performances by both that only comes from years of experience. Strong supporting roles by David Graham, Julian Grant and John C. Smith.

Slow dialogue exchanges between Nathan Wilson and Bahia Garrigan made for lengthy scenes, I had wished for quicker delivery. Though the two had moments that showcased their talents.

A lot going on in this film both visually and within the plot. The film was easy to follow, script was well written and there were no loop holes for me. Climax scene between Lacy and Wilson was very well done.

I enjoyed the film; that being said I would have enjoyed it more and given it a better rating if the dialogue pace during some of the scene had not been so slow (lengthy).

Thumbs up to Ansel for directing a terrific cast of all ages. He really showed his professionalism with this film. People don't realize he does EVERYTHING on his projects: writes, produces, edits, visual effects, casts, edits again, directs, cameraman, edits again and delivers each film from his soul! 21 years old! Most 21 year old's are in college trying to find a major or are on the beach surfing all morning. Ansel eats, sleeps, drinks and breathes movies. Its in his DNA and in this film it shows. He should be proud.

See this movie because Ansel Faraj has been able to do something new in a way that filmmakers twice to three times his age seemed to have never known how to do. Doctor Mabuse is a wholly original film and fearless while it's at it -- detailing a contemporarily rendered vision of fear, even if set in "period" times between the wars yet, as we are now, always in a state of war. Fear, paranoia, claustrophobia, conformity and the banality of evil combine in a visually arresting and mind-blowing way to tell a simply great and terrifying story. Jerry Lacy MAKES the film along with a cast turning in good to great performances that enhance Lacy's dark embodiment of evil. Part homage, part brand new vision and always an analogy for our times, Doctor Mabuse is not only a highly worthy and frightening story in and of itself but marks a serious entry into movie-making. Ansel Faraj means it!

Due to my love of the original Dark Shadows tv series and it's many actors, I came upon doing a deep dive into filmmaker Ansel Faraj's filmography the last few months.

Faraj having made this film at such a young age is extremely impressive! The mood and actors included are definitely the cherry on top! (DS alumni Jerry Lacy, Kathryn Leigh Scott and the beautiful Lara Parker!)

Going back to an early film like Mabuse was really exciting and rewarding to see what Ansel has been able to do in the years since this release! I highly recommend 2019's "Loon Lake" also starring DS alumni's, like David Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott (once more!)

Quite a treat to see Jerry Lacy, Lara Parker, and Kathryn Leigh Scott-- all of Dark Shadows--reunited again. But, the characters really don't do much in the film. The artsy blue screen projections detract from a slim plot. Just what did Dr. Mabuse do to warrant his exile? He's a criminal mastermind...just what did he do? My biggest problems with the film include uneven audio levels. I had to jump up once or more to turn the volume down or up on my stereo from scene to scene. Plus, the characters do not pronounce the name "Mabuse" the same by any means. I heard "Maboose" from Lara Parker...and "Muh-buse" from the young police policeman and others. Even in the the special features section on the DVD, the latter actor referred to Lara Parker as "Laura," when my understanding is the pronunciation is "Lara," rhyming with "Sara." So, these problems did detract from my enjoyment of the film. I would like nothing better than to see a Dark Shadows TV or studio film with Parker, Scott, David Selby, etc. on a higher production level. But, kudos to the director and writer--who, as other reviewers said--could do much more on a bigger budget.