Anything for Jackson

A pretty fun and wild experience, slightly spoiled by a underwhelming conclusion/ending.

A fresh spin on a classic concept, Anything for Jackson follows an elderly couple who kidnap a pregnant woman with the sole intention of putting their deceased grandson's spirit into her unborn child. A wicked yet amusing premise, the film manages to get some mileage out of its reverse exorcism idea only to drop the ball in the final act to finish on an underwhelming note.

Directed by Justin G. Dyck, the film is a major step-up & a massive departure for its director when compared to his family-friendly filmography. Crafted with care & handled with finesse, the story is gripping from the get-go, brims with a disquieting chill, and packs some effective scares, thanks to the foreboding ambience & ghostly interventions that occur throughout its runtime.

What inherits the picture its uncanny strength however is the excellent performances from its leading duo. Sheila McCarthy & Julian Richings are fantastic in their Satan-worshipping roles and even add a parental touch to their otherwise despicable characters. The supporting cast fail to match the brilliance of the leads and are serviceable at best. As for the finale, it fails to deliver the desired goods.

Overall, Anything for Jackson is a fun & fiendish delight that manages to be both hilarious & thrilling and makes for a polished piece of work for a film shot on a low-budget. Certainly an impressive entry in a directorial career that's jam-packed with feel-good Christmas specials, this supernatural horror about loss, grief, remorse & satanism has its merits and will surprise many with its refreshing take on the subgenre.

Considering the low quality of a lot of horror output recently I wasn't expecting much from this movie. But what a surprise.

The story is well written and tight, nicely paced, and with plenty of intrigue so you never really know where it is going.

The characters are superbly portrayed by the entire cast.

If you want to see a good horror movie that doesn't involve teens screaming in some remote location - this is a movie to watch.

Starts off really well and has some really quite disturbing, inventive and shocking moments with good performances from all involved.

Unfortunately it cannot sustain the level of suspense and horror and the ending sadly just wastes the entirety of what came before with a disappointing denouement but still an above average 6 hatchets out of 10 from me on this one!

This slow-burning horror, following a kind but determined satanist couple and their self-defeating desire to bring back their deceased grandson, is the kind of film that begs a second viewing. I didn't appreciate it the first time I saw it, but the second time around, the strong acting skills, special effects and underlying tragedy of the story won me over. Anything For Jackson somehow evokes an outpour of empathy for this couple of kidnappers, as it becomes more apparent the gravity of the losses they faced, and the lengths they went to in order to overcome them. Fans of Supernatural, Roxy Hunter and Hard Core Logo will instantly recognize Julian Richings as Henry, and Sheila McCarthy works very well with him in the role of satanist grandmother Audrey. Up-and-coming actor Josh Cruddas is memorable as the narcissistic satanist bum, Ian, a childish but obsessively devoted helper to the protagonists, and Yannick Bisson and Lanette Ware compliment every scene they're in. As a dark comedy and occult horror, Anything For Jackson works strangely well. While not perfect, and at times campy, it's a well-made and quite unforgettable story worth checking out.