The Taking

Let me get one thing out first: this was not a great movie. It could be a good movie, but right now I'm such in shock that I don't know how I feel. I don't understand the reviews saying this movie is boring or slow. I felt like it had a very nice pace that kept the story rolling and my interest high.

What I will say is that the biggest detriment to this movie is that it was willing to have its characters make stupid choices in order for the creepy, intense scenes to happen. People often don't turn on lights when they are readily available (or should be, maybe there were unspoken reasons why the lights weren't working?). When Deborah becomes violent and injures people, she is not kept under lock and key until they can figure out how to treat her, rather she is allowed to go home time and again so she can do the same things. And of course, people go into places alone when they shouldn't, and don't call for back up when they should.

That being said, I have to hand it to the filmmakers for creating some of the most intense and effective scaring that I've seen in years. Not even just the finale (I'll get to that later) but intermittently. Not everything works, and not every scare is fresh or original, but quite a few of them hit the mark and had me at the edge of my seat.

And finally the ending. I had read in other reviews that this was quite the doozy, and I have to admit I was in no way, shape, or form prepared. I don't want to over-hype it (although I can't imagine how), but that was something I could not have seen coming, and for the first time in my horror-loving life, I actually had to look away from the screen. The image is still burned in my mind.

I can say that the ending almost made the whole thing worth it, but just for setting up the scary bits I can't rationalize all the stupidity the characters show. As a whole, I don't regret watching "Taking" but it definitely had its flaws.

That ending though...

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 Logan is a creepy, creepy movie. If you want a good midnight creepfest then this will certainly do the job. The plot revolves around this girl and her camera crew who's studying Deborah Logan for her Ph. D thesis on Alzheimer's disease. Deborah's daughter Sarah is the one who sets this whole thing up and is basically the movie's protagonist and is a necessary part of getting through to Deborah during the rough times and helping mediate with the camera crew and whatnot.

Let me say right off the bat, the acting in this movie is very good. Well above average for a horror movie, and it almost gave me a Babadook vibe because its about a woman dealing with something difficult and her slow descent into madness. Both movies feel more like character studies rather than flat out scary movies, mainly because the leading women are so convincing and terrifying in their roles. Sarah was also very believable as Deborah's daughter doing everything she can to keep her own sanity while dealing with her mom's deteriorating condition. That's the main thing when it comes down to found footage horror: Whether the found-footage feels like a gimmick or not. And in this movie it doesn't. They set this thing up like a documentary. There are even a few medical scenes that explain the effects of the disease and how it affects the brain which I thought was a nice touch.

Like I said, this is a creepy movie. It's very slow paced like most found-footage movies but the exposition is well done and interesting, and actually gets us to know the family and how they operate so we can really be affected when things start going downhill. Even before the supernatural factors start coming in, there's an ominous aura to this movie, tonally, it's just very down-to-earth which makes it feel like you're actually there, which in turn makes it that much creepier. So the movie nailed it on that front. Then when the supernatural stuff does come in, it gets even weirder and a few scenes get really intense. Some shots are extremely quiet and scary and you think a jump scare is about to happen any second but... then... nope, next scene. And I love that, because the anticipation and tension from that shot still lingers into the next, and then the next, until you feel it's going to explode at any minute. It's very well directed in that respect.

That being said, there are cheap jump scares. There are some really cheesy ones with amazing build ups that have really LOUD sound effects to try to make you jump but just leave you like "eh, that could've been a lot better". But some scares actually pay off mainly near the end of the film and those are worth waiting for. There's also a lot of creepy imagery. Like, borderline disturbing imagery, because you believe this woman is doing these things and it's hard to watch, but in a good horror movie edge-of-your-seat kind of way. I really liked the tone of this movie, and I loved how they tied the disease with the supernatural stuff seamlessly. And there aren't that many dull spots in the movie - there's always something creepy going on whether in the foreground or background that keeps you on your toes.

In short, The Taking is an effective found-footage movie. The atmosphere is unnerving as hell, the acting is great, and it definitely creeped me out which is all I can ask for in a horror movie. Definitely worth a watch if you're a fan of the genre.

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 deal here with the new kind of cinema as you can find nearly everywhere around the world. And, believe it or not, it works. It makes creeps out of you, don't watch it alone at night...The usual horror story which will always work. But besides, you deal here with astounding Oscar winning worth performances. And this astounding little feature also focuses on the terrible aspects of the Alzheimer disease, especially the pictures shown in the first part of the movie. It is fiction, yes, but not only. It is very scary but also not destined to all audiences. a sort of mix up between THE EXORCIST - old influences, very vintage - and the new wave with the likes of BLAIRWITCH PROJECT or REC or PARANORMAL ACTIVITY...

Don't miss it