Pater Noster and the Mission of Light

I just finished watching Pater Noster and the Mission of Light, and first off let me say thank you Chris for another great film! I would like to recommend this film to any Horror fan that might be interested in watching an insane psychedelic acid trip gone off the deep end. What might happen when a group of friends that are really big on finding and collecting rare records get invited to meet a band that has not been heard from in decades?

If you by chance have had an opportunity to check out Chris Bickel's previous films 2017 The Theta Girl, and Bad Girls 2022 you might have some sort of an idea of what to expect and if not I recommend that you at least give them a look see.

I'm so glad I made the effort to see this one on the big screen--Chris Bickel is a genius at film and music genres and he has studied them his entire life--and it shows in PN and The Mission of Light. A Beautiful classic horror flick! I was worried that it would give me PTSD like some recent horror films but this film was perfect! It was scary but I walked away feeling great!

The storyline: A California-type cult from the 70's strayed from its original purpose and became a Satanic nightmare. A modern-day record store collector is drawn to it but after she and her friends discover the mysterious group, assuming that they're just a friendly family lead by an MIT professor, everything goes south...

Probably my favorite horror movie of the year. Low budget, but that doesn't detract from the effectiveness of the FX. In fact, the sticky quality of the blood is a nice throwback to the 70s and 80s genre flicks we all love. Predictable on occasion, but surprising where it counts. I mean, young people going to a remote location in the woods to meet with a cult leader? I wonder what will happen? Still, the specifics are fresh and the vinyl record take on the necronomicon trope is kind of inspired. Only reason it's not a 10 is that at times it tries to be gratuitous for the sake of being gratuitous and I didn't find that those couple scenes stuck the landing. Overall, a spectacularly fun movie!

Man, where do I even begin with Pater Noster and the Mission of Light? This isn't just a movie, it's a fever dream, a time machine made of celluloid catapulting you into the sun-drenched, acid-tinged haze of the '70s-only to drop you straight into the heart of unrelenting terror. It's raw, electric, and brimming with the kind of energy only the underground can conjure.

Max, our guide into this kaleidoscopic nightmare, is your every-kid-stacking vinyls in a dusty shop, looking for nothing more than the next song to stitch her life together. Then she stumbles upon it. The record. A black mirror that sings, pulling her into the grooves of a long-lost world-a commune promising love and light but delivering shadows and sacrifice.

The movie doesn't just tell you a story; it channels it. Shot for the price of a beat-up VW van, every frame feels gritty and raw, like it's been marinated in patchouli and fear. The cult's remnants-those wide-eyed, sunken-cheeked keepers of secrets better left buried-pull you in with their cracked smiles and promises of enlightenment. But you know better. You feel it. There's rot under the flowers, and it's spreading

This isn't a movie for everyone. It's messy, chaotic, and unpolished, like a poem scrawled on a napkin at 3 AM in some dive bar. But if you're the kind of person who gets it-who feels the call of the weird and the wild-it's a revelation.

So, roll the dice, press play, and dive in. Just don't expect to come out the same on the other side. Like the best of the underground, Pater Noster and the Mission of Light doesn't ask for your attention-it demands it, and once it's got you, it won't let go.

While I came to support an artist associated with the film I found I actually enjoyed the movie on its own merits, not something I would have been drawn to but expanded my movie pallette slightly 🎥🎞 I enjoyed the experience of seeing an independent film shown on the large screen in a theatre setting surrounded by other patrons supporting small budget locally produced artistry. Support dreams, dream big, break molds. Thank you to the Independent Picture House theatre for allowing is to experience this film as it should be. I also enjoyed the cast and crew qiestion & andwer session at the end of the showing.