The Taking

One of the better horror movies from the last few years. The "horror" genre tag was missing from the IMDb page when I first looked it up (right before I saw it) so I really didn't know what I was getting into - although it was pretty obvious that it would be a horror flick due to the cover picture, but you never know.

The story was well written. It was very clever how they incorporated Alzheimer's disease into the story - well, they didn't "incorporate" it - the disease is the main story, but it was very clever how they made it into a horror movie - the disease is very scary in and of itself.

I have to admit that the acting was a bit iffy, but it became negligible toward the middle of the movie due to the intensity of the story. And Jill Larson gave a stellar performance.

Wow. I'll start by saying I'm not usually a fan of found footage films. I typically think they're boring and hard to follow. But I actually liked this one. It was actually creepy; as a fan of horror movies, I can 100% say that this one had genuinely spooky moments that creeped me out. There were things I've never seen in other horror movies. It also had a decent amount of comedy, which I always appreciate.

Is it the best horror movie ever? Definitely not. But is it an entertaining time? Yes. Does it have genuine scares? Yes. Will horror fans appreciate? Most likely, yes. Again, I'm not a fan of found footage films, but I liked this one. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good old horror.

The Taking of Deborah Logan is another possession movie. In that regard you can expect to see the same possession type actions that you'd see in any other possession movie. The Taking of Deborah Logan is done in found-footage or documentary style. Again, you can expect the viewing experience to be the same as any other found-footage/documentary style film. Yet, I still found it entertaining.

Deborah Logan (Jill Larson) is an elderly woman that is suffering from the onset of Alzheimer's disease. In order to help keep the house and pay for medical care her daughter agrees to have a team film her. Everything that happens after that is textbook possession stuff but somehow it was different with an old lady. I think the child possession was too overplayed so they went in a slightly different direction.

There was a mystery element to it: who, why, how to stop it? Of course there were your jump scares, but there was an overriding creepiness to it that was directly linked to Deborah Logan's age. When someone so old, fragile and withering starts clawing at herself or disrobing it just looks so much more eerie. No one wants to see an old lady naked and no one wants to see an old lady peeling her skin off. Aah! I just got the heeby jeebies just thinking about it.

Considering this movie wasn't very unique it was done well enough and it just separated itself enough to stand on its own.

The Taking of Deborah Morgan, as you must have gathered by now, is a faux-documentary that begins as a sort of record of deterioration. I can think of no better word than "deterioration", since Deborah Morgan falls apart both mentally and physically over the course of the film. You'll find yourself unnerved and saddened by Deborah's confused states and struggles as she loses her memories to what appears to be Alzheimer's Disease. Of course, things take a sinister turn as the crew cataloging the disease's progression begin to see and hear unexplainable phenomena.

The first half of the film is genuinely terrifying, and had me in suspense.It is the film's second half, which I will not divulge here, that was a bit of a letdown. I really wanted to give the film a higher score, but I couldn't come up with more than a 6. All I will say is this: A horror film with a unique premise and a lot of promise gradually works its way back into the clichés of jump-scare Hollywood.

However, I would be remiss if I did not commend the film for its portrayal of three major female characters (who really carry the film)--a Ph. D. student, a troubled daughter, and Deborah herself-- each one fairly layered and driven by palpable human motivations. The whole "freaked-out, over-sexed bimbo" schtick gets old.

You know when you watch a movie and you constantly yell at the characters because they do everything wrong? Yeah, this movie is one of those.

Here's the premise: A group of people get to film an old lady in the struggle of an early diagnosed Alzheimer's disease. Her behavior is getting worse really fast, but it seems something else is going on with her, something evil...

Jill Larson is the best actress in the movie. She really nails her character. Anne Ramsay follows, then the rest of the acting is okay I guess.

Now, the problem with this movie is mainly about rational behavior of the characters. You know, when you are looking for someone confused in the house, it works better with the lights on. But here noooo, that wouldn't be scary enough. The group could also make sure to tell her they are coming and are looking for her, but it feels like they are almost hiding from her. Then when we find the lost lady or something scary, we also get a bonus unrelated scary sound, to make sure the jump scares are effective.

Some scenes can get pretty exciting sometimes, but don't hope to find anything extraordinary with this movie, you'd be disappointed. If you're looking for a barely decent found footage/mockumentary flick, you can give this one a chance. Just don't think too much about logic in this movie, because it is pretty much inexistent.