Conjurer

We love independent movies especially spooky ones that don't do the whole gore thing and we saw this review quoted from Dreadcentral.com back in August: "No word on a distro deal for the film yet, but I'm sure it won't take long for someone to snatch this up. Conjurer is a smart, tense ghost story that I'm sure will find its place among fans who are looking to avoid the usual ADD-causing jump scares and work instead on slowly witling away at your nerves." It really made us want to see it but there was no word about a release or anything and there was no follow up news then we saw it was going to play at the Dixie Film Festival a few weeks ago. We went and saw it and it was even better than expected and it even won Best Feature! They announced it was sold to Showtime and gets a national DVD release in late November which is cool because it's really worth watching. This is low budget and a bit slow but a whole lot better than movies like The Return or The Abandoned or The Messengers or Darkness.

Just got back from the premiere screening, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed with this film.

The story established a thoroughly creepy premise, built the tension, included more than a few jumps and jolts, and had me and my wife hugging each other tightly for fear of the next scare.

So, a great horror film experience.

The production values were very high. The production design and makeup are first rate, and the effects are used sparingly and to maximum result.

Hope this gets a theatrical release, because it deserves to be seen! Check it out when you get a chance...

This is actually a pretty good little indie flick. Yeah there's nothing revelatory or terribly unique about the story framework but they didn't go down the gore road and attempted something of a throwback with creepiness instead of blood, something I can appreciate. I was actually pretty surprised. If you need something scary to happen right away then forget it...better watch something else. This is a gradual, slow burn kind of pacing that I didn't mind. I also didn't really know where the story was going and the ending caught me off guard with a psychological twist that was different. And different is good any day over same old shock or gore or Asian retread.

This just played at the Illinois International Film Festival and won Best Horror Film. I wanted to see it because ghost stories are my favorite genre and I read the story background so it seemed something I would definitely like. When I read here about it winning Best Horror Film at the other film festival and not really being a horror film I had to agree and wanted to write a comment about what others are probably expecting and not getting. This is not a horror movie with a bit of supernatural, it's a supernatural story with a bit of horror. Horror today means blood and guts and splatter and gore and screaming and yelling and this has none of that. Good ghost stories always are slower paced with unsettling creepy touches that can be moody and Gothic and spooky. I'm not a fan of certain genres so I'm not going to watch them and then get angry that I didn't like it and found it boring. So here's a tip to splatter fans and gorehounds >> AVOID THIS MOVIE << to the rest of you who like slower paced quality spooky movies, this is really worth watching. It's not great, but it's a nice surprise. I'm giving it nine stars because I appreciate the effort to do something that fans like me will enjoy and call attention to it for others of like mind. BTW if you're a ghost fan make sure and check out THE ORPHANAGE and don't be scared off by the subtitles!!!!!!

A young couple moves into an old farmhouse a year after losing their unborn child. Strange, unexplained events take place, seemingly having to do with an abandoned cabin on the property.

CONJURER is an exceptional supernatural thriller. Or, perhaps it's something else. It could either be about a curse / occult conspiracy, or a man driven by schizophrenic delusions. The filmmakers have done a fantastic job of balancing dark, magical images with paranoid thinking and less-than-sane reactions from the protagonist (Andrew Bowen).

We're never quite sure if he's being tormented by a sinister entity, or simply breaking away from reality. Though the epilogue hints at a possible answer, it's sort of left to interpretation. This movie keeps us guessing throughout...