Fear

I wanted to see this film when I saw that Joseph Sikora was in it. I watch Power and binge watched the spin off Force, so it was impressive to see him do something that was not Tommy Eagan. Very convincing as well mattered novelist who had success with one book and is working on another one. Then this white dude takes his girlfriend and his closest friends who are all black to a cabin in the woods and he thought that would somehow end well.

Fear was a movie that starts out a social commentary that honestly may have gone over with me better six or eight months ago. My level of social fear has lessened sense then. This may work on others but all I see is an indi movie that came out too late to give me the full fear it intended.

Plus, that supernatural element felt like a great story but possibly a little too complex. I felt that the filmmakers had some good talent to do some damage but instead everything was broken.

The attempt to frighten me with a real issue than present me with a decent story that was laid out very uneventfully just did not work for me.

Just very dull.

Nothing frustrates me more than a horror movie that has so much potential but fails to deliver. Fear would be fairly high on that list.

A man takes his girlfriend away for a surprise birthday weekend and has arranged for a group of their friends to be at the old lodge in the middle of nowhere. This happens to coincide with the outbreak of a Covid like pandemic, forcing them to remain isolated at the lodge.

There are several things in this movie that just don't make sense, but it is hard to go into them without giving away spoilers. A great deal stems from the lack proper back story. A few morsels of history are thrown in, but not enough to make sense.

The first half of the movie relies heavily on the paranoia caused by Covid as its premise. The slightest cough or sniffle has people turning against each other.

Early on, the characters decide to share their greatest fears, and of course that comes back to bite them on the bum.

The acting is okay, with a couple of weak links, but the script leaves a little to be desired at times.

All the elements are there to make a good, if not great horror movie, but lack of details renders the story a bit muddled and confusing.

Oh, and the ending sucks big time.

If i could go back in time and stop myself from choosing this movie, i would. It started off strong, with an interesting plot and a storyline that was easy to follow. I liked the idea of a fear based horror movie, but it took less than 30 minutes to drift into boring nothingness. They didn't follow the original plot of the movie, the acting was all over the place, the scenes clashed, the logic was absolutely nonexistent. Adding the sudden religious savior complex at the end totally killed it for my family. It came out of nowhere and ruined the classic indie vibe. It was unoriginal and bland, and seemed to follow the classic horror sequence. Regret.

If you ignore the bad digital graphics, terrible acting, and convoluted plot...you could craft a drinking game with this movie. Every time a character says we've gotta get outta here...and they don't, take drink. Every time a choir inexplicably starts singing Latin...take a drink. Every time a confusing new plot point is added... take a drink. Every time someone says It's not real and then acts like it is,...take a drink. Everytime a character makes a inexplicable decision that puts them in danger, and somehow moves the plot...take a drink. *warning this is not responsible drinking, and may result in alcohol poisoning.

A group of big city friends, head out to a remote complex of cabins, in anticipation of two of them getting engaged, under the ruse of celebrating the female half of the couple's birthday.

However, it was built upon land that harbours a dark legend.

A legend concerning a number of native women, who were kidnapped by a group of gold miners, before starting a coven, and taking control of the town, by using their magickal powers to make the men hallucinate.

While hanging out around a campfire, the group reveal their most deepset fears to one another.

Setting off a series of events, during which their fears start to become manifest.

Unfortunately, the whole thing becomes a convoluted mess.

As they try to tie in a number of plot devices, like the presence of ghosts, the spread of a respiratory illness, spiked wine, and something being released from a mysterious pandora's box.

So, when one of their friends gets sick...the paranoia starts to set in...and the group starts to turn on one another.

You can tell they wanted this to be something like The Shining.

But it's not The Shining.

Rather, being more akin to this year's biggest horror flop, Snow Falls.

Which is based on a similar theme.

It's fault lies in the structure.

Which, due to the sheer number of characters- and flipping back and forth between different aspects of the plotline- you are never really able to become engaged with the story or characters.

For the most part, I felt the acting was fine.

With the lead male actor being, by far, the weakest of the bunch.

But the writing is subpar.

There's just no nuance to it.

Things plod along, and suddenly "everybody's dead".

But, frankly, you just don't care.

The main character is fashioned as an author who has come to the area as research for his new book.

And he, somehow, unravels the mystery...though, it's not exactly clear how he managed to do so.

Which goes to show just how underdeveloped the storyline and structure really are.

I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt...in that there would be some sort of twist at the end, that would tie all of these things together.

But it just never comes to fruition.

On the one hand, you have the whole psychological horror angle (which is poorly done, in the form of flashbacks).

While, on the other, you have the whole supernatural thing going on.

And they just don't vibe as being two parts of the same whole...despite the fact that you know they are.

To their credit, they do make an effort to do this, by introducing a monster-like charcter.

But it doesn't work.

The whole thing simply lacks that cohesive element it needs to really work.

And never meets the threshold required to keep you engaged.

Hence why it has been garnering such harsh reviews.

2.5 out of 10.