Under the Raven's Wing

Under The Raven's Wing is about a guy making a documentary that focuses on a hot group of witches which the main chick Raven seems to be the leader of them. She acts like a cult leader of sorts that she rules them with intimidation and mental manipulation. Throughout the film they keep mentioning a previous murder that they claim they committed. Most of the the time the film director guy seems to not believe them and seems to be more focused on getting these chicks naked on camera and banging the Spanish one (which I can't blame him, that Angel chick is one caliente mamacita!). Eventually these witches pick up some guy from a bar and Raven aims to prove how true her statement about them being murderers is.

Let me just say this is obviously made with zero to no budget at the start of the found footage boom. The camera is a cheap pixelated DV camera. The acting borders on passable to bad. The sfx are goofy and the stoning scene was laughable. But This isn't one of those found footage movies that are meant to look real so it's all forgivable. The movie is ok, but it's definitely not the great film the friends, family and cast are raving about on IMDB. Still a fun enough early found footage oddity that is better then it has a reason being.

I truly liked this film. Its a bit different then what I had expected. The concept for this film is very original. Filmed as a documentary was truly a fantastic way to go to tell the story. Raven and the two other young ladies have a relationship that is so unnerving that it made me think about how many people in the world actually thinks the way they do. Scary to think someone next door to you could be thinking and acting this way. The music and acting in the film really brings the characters to life and makes you believe that what you are watching is an actual truth. I would have loved to see more of how these characters became what they were. How and why was Raven so obsessed with transcending? Their true self got lost somewhere in their lives and the film leaves you with wanting a bit more of the history of the young ladies. Try to catch this film if you can. If you like psychological films this one will fit you to a tee.

I think to truly appreciate "Under the Raven's Wing", the viewer will need to understand what this film is. I saw the debut screening at the Full Moon Horror Con Film Festival, but this film is not "traditional" horror by any means.

The story centers around three young women and the young man chosen to document their collective story surrounding their disturbing spiritual philosophy. At different points in the film you can see the three women in many different forms. Sometimes they come off as evil, other times downright insane, but even in their darker moments there is still an underlying quality that makes you feel empathetic towards them. The young man documenting the story has his own agenda at times, most often being bedding one or any combination of the three females. If not for this character's actions towards the end of the film he would have probably came off to the viewer as a stereotypical college frat guy. Instead, he comes off as just a everyday heterosexual male who tends to put his sexual interests first, but when push comes to shove there is obviously a conscience lurking somewhere inside.

Each of the three women nail their parts. Kamilla Sofie Sadekova, playing the role of Angel, is the primary seductress for the group and this theme is enforced within several scenes of the film. Overall, her character comes off as extremely likable especially once the circumstances of her childhood have been revealed. She comes off as being The Director's (played by Coy DeLuca) primary interest which tends to create a lot of conflict between the three women. Jessica Palette plays the role of Jessie, who at first glance comes off as the shy one of the trio, but by the middle of the film becomes to come off as clearly the most psychologically fractured of the three. Her redeeming qualities are her smile and child-like nature, as it becomes apparent that she is clearly the one who is most influenced by Raven. In the film's lead role, Kimberly Amato delivers a strong performance as the ringleader of the group known as Raven. This film will have many scenes that make you want to dislike this character and perhaps think her to be borderline evil, however I found it impossible to do so when all was said and done. Raven is clearly the glue that holds her dysfunctional trio together, but it's the tragic flaws of the character and how those traits are performed on screen that make the character compelling. The best example I can give is a scene during about the midpoint of the film where we see Raven being interviewed privately by The Director. This is one of the few moments in the film where the Raven character has obviously let her guard down and chooses to open up. Her openness is met with rejection and you can tell this has been a reoccurring cycle in her life and thus has helped to create the guarded persona that is dominate through most of the film.

To enjoy this film, I think you need to watch it with an open mind. While I saw the film at a horror convention, I tried not to have a pre-conceived notion of what this film would be. Obviously, comparisons to "The Craft" and "The Blair Witch Project" will be made after viewing the trailer, but while this film may have been inspired by similar titles it does have a unique flair. Don't expect a traditional genre to be able to define it and instead just enjoy it for what it is. Mainstream cinema needs more character-driven originality such as this.

Let me start by saying I don't know any of these people so my opinions are mine and not influenced by friendship or prejudice. When I sat down to view this movie I was entirely skeptical. like all Indie films I've reviewed in the past, my skeptism was lost quickly as I noticed myself deeply enthralled on what was gonna happen next. My first thought of interest was with the Raven character and the music that accompanied her fit perfectly with the freaky look before she spoke. the music and effects were perfect for every part of the movie. The actresses picked for these parts played the characters perfectly. the Raven actress really showcased her acting skills as she went in and out of emotional states but not to far to where you forget what she was about. (perfect). the lighting and special effects were phenomenal, especially the part when they were at grandma Ruth's house. At the end of the slumber party, when Jesse jumped up yelling, I felt like I was at the movies witnessing the freakiest part. I looked around the room to my crowd and everyone's eyes were glued to the big screen."what's gonna happen next"? as the end grew near not even realizing how long you were sitting there holding your bathroom visit so you didn't miss anything, you go off to bed with thoughts of who was taping the camera man? any movie that sends you to bed with a freaky thought and pondering ideas in your mind in my opinion is a well written, well acted excellent flick. 10 thumbs up here. from my crowd, pati from cali

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I received UNDER THE RAVEN'S WING (2007) written, directed, and edited by SUSAN ADRIENSEN (yes, Sno Cakes from Alan Rowe Kelly's THE BLOOD SHED). This film stars three relatively unknown actresses Kimberly Amato, Kamilla Sofie Sadekova and Jessica Palette. Jessica Palette recently competed in the horrid VH1 reality show SCREAM QUEENS.

The movie is a mockumentary in the vein of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT or THE LAST BROADCAST. It's the story of a filmmaker (Coy DeLuca) who is documenting the lives of Raven (Amato), Angel (Sadevoka), and Jessie (Palette) who have recently committed murder or as they call it "giving the gift of transcendence." Raven, as the cult leader, has complete control of Angel and Jessie. Jessie is very needy and searching for the ultimate acceptance that has obviously evaded her. Each of the three actresses perform their roles so beautifully and convincingly that one almost believes this to be a true documentary. Coy as the director and photographer of this documentary shoots this film in a POV that is convincing in every scene.

The story is psychological and deep. This film does not require gore or any cheap scares as the story and the performances of Amato, Sadevoka, and Palette truly held me enthralled. Most who know me can attest to the fact that I like my horror bloody, violent, and fast -- none of which describe this film. Yet, I truly enjoyed this film.

I so loved Susan Adriensen's performance as the silly, slightly insane, and playful Sno Cakes that I wasn't quite sure her departure from actress to writer, director, and cinematographer of a story as serious as this would work. However, Susan proves herself to be a swiss army knife and versatile as hell by making this movie.

The film is beautiful technically. The lighting is perfect, every shot is framed perfectly even when shaking and bouncing as one would expect a documentary to do. Yes, the story has its twists and the twists are not cheaply written for the sake of twisting the plot to make it seem more intelligent.

This is intelligent horror/drama. The reviews on this film have all been positive as they should be. In closing, I'll say that if Jessica Palette had demonstrated the abilities as an actress in the horrid Scream Queen reality show, she would be starring in a short vignette in the upcoming Saw VI. Perhaps its for the best, as she has far more talent than any of the other girls on Scream Queens and deserves better roles than anything the Saw VI franchise has to offer.

As soon as this film finds distribution I recommend you buy it and settle in for a true gem in the world of independent film.