The Changing of Ben Moore

If you are into demon movies then this is a movie you may like, I know you may like this.

It start of a little slow but as soon as it picks up it kind of takes off. There is one thing that bothers me. It comes to a point when you have to put the prices together and say yep ding ding ding we have a winner and not just be blind to it all and I feel that should have happened a little sooner but that is ok I know some people can be a little dense and can take a while to put the prices together so I am able to over look that part of the film. Which allows me to appreciate the way the story unfolds and takes place.

Ben has been acting strange lately. He's not eating and his brother who lives with him and his wife discover he is sleep walking around at night with no memory. His brother is worried so he decides to document the case to show a doctor (or maybe an exorcist) He catches him killing the neighbors cat in the middle of the night. When he confronts Ben, he is shocked at the footage. Soon half dead bodies are being discovered in their neighborhood. Is Ben loosing is his mind or is something more sinister happening?

Ever since the Blair Witch Project and the widespread availability of video taping devices horror fans have been accursed with Point of View films that not only are used as a way to make movies cheaper but limit the scope of the narrative of the movie to one of these devices. Many times in this movie Ben screams at his brother "Are you filming this? Why are you (bleep expletive) filming this!!!" and I certainly found myself wondering the same thing. Every moment captured by the camcorder is convenient, and contrived. It's also convenient that when Ben or his brother review what's been recorded the next day they only reveal what happens in the beginning of the film. Suddenly a shift occurs and Ben doesn't mention it again.

The dialogue is forced and the at one point the viewer may witness the sheriff actually reading his lines from his notepad. Umberto Celisano, who plays Ben however nails the creepy factor as he wanders the house in the midnight hour in a trance. The way his eyes begin to change as the film progresses is haunting. The video being recorded gets more grainy in these parts, adding to the effect and manages not to be too gimmicky, quite an impressive feat. Those two things are the only reason the film deserves a D+ and not a Turkey (as Leonard Maltin would say)

Overall this film is for die-hard horror fans only and maybe fans of POV horror (if such a thing exists). The plot is very predictable. It plays out exactly how one would expect it to and this is would be frustrating for the non-horror aficionado.

Alan Bannacheck

THE CHANGING OF BEN MOORE has an interesting premise: the eponymous character has not been himself lately. He can't sleep or eat, and he has these mysterious blackouts at night during which he acts increasingly strange. His best friend investigates and together they decide to document the investigation.

This found footage horror film had the potential to be much better than it turned out to be. That is mainly because the script underdelivered on the premise. For one thing, the prologue states that this is footage on a found camera, which practically begs for an epilogue after the conclusion that clarifies a few things, but nothing comes forth at the conclusion.

We don't know the origin of Ben's Jekyll and Hyde transformation, we don't know what happened to the bodies of his two friends, and the sublot with the exorcist or, for that matter, the girlfriend's parents, goes nowhere. Finally, we don't even know what happens to Ben in the end. That is too many loose ends for my taste.

The other big problem is that the plot relies too much on the stupidity of the characters. It already begins with the fact that right from the beginning we, the audience, see that Ben's eyes change when he is possessed, but the characters apparently do not notice.

Despite having ample indications and talking as if he understands the implications of the situation, his best friend does not even begin to seriously question whether Ben is behind the unsettling goings-on until late in the movie and then, instead of calling the police, he unwisely decides to investigate himself.

Having pointed out the two main flaws, let me mention that the production values and acting, especially by the main character, were decent.

I also liked that the CGI effects were not overdone. Many horror films digitally distort a character's face in scary moments to such a grotesque extent that it becomes silly, but not here. The digital enhancement of the roaring mouth was done just enough that it remained within the realm of plausibility, and that added genuine scariness.

Overall, this is an average found footage horror film.

The story is a nicely constructed slice of self-discovery that morphs into horror actualized. It is a journey that seems to be taken lightly by both the main character and his friends. All of which is told through video dairy clips. Ben and his friends spend the majority of the time bouncing back from freaked-out concern to "party" mode during the course of the events. Luckily for us "The Changing Of Ben" is a total existential experience because it would just be too much melodrama and time filler. Mills brings in a "predator-prey" component which really sells the horror elements of the story. Most of which is given by a cast that has committed to their characters. Some of the line delivery and scenes fall a bit flat for a moment but I never lost complete interest, or lost the connection with the story.

The special effects are pretty standard affair for a film of this budget. The creature effects used for the metamorphosis moments of Ben's transformation work nicely for what they were. Budget size really isn't an obstacle if conviction and creativity are involved. And Jason Mills and his team obviously know that because I found those moments convincing. The other special effects used are the camera gimmicks associated with the found footage subgenre, and the gore is a blend of CGI and practical effects. Mostly the film builds its chills and suspense with the drama and heightened emotional state of the characters. Sometimes it works, other times not so much. Still all things considered there are some really cool, creepy moments in "The Changing Of Ben", and Jason Mills is methodical, conscientious, and decisive when it comes to making sure that the story, and his vision is delivered from start to finish. Overall I was impressed with this one. It is a bit mediocre on the horror side, and kind of text book as far as style of found footage that it is, but there is some nice character development, creepy atmospheric moments, a little comic relief, and nice special effects and creature makeup in "The Changing Of Ben".

Agree with the other reviewer the gf's acting was soo stiff it's really reallyy bad omg. I couldn't even get through half the film. Nothing was believable in this. Like who in their right mind thought this film was a good idea? It's an actual embarrassment..