The Incantation

It's a B movie. I knew that and I often like B movies - sometimes they surprise you. There's a brief surprise at the end that took all of a second to register and then it was " of course". So not really a surprise at all. Really bad acting, although I wasn't sure if this was deliberate on the part of the director - certainly I've seen Dean Cain do better. So I'm not sure what the director was going for. But the whole thing was a mess, including the 'story' line.

A common horror story plot with admirable production quality. But the worst acting I've ever scene outside a high school project. With a plot full of family curses and unexplained longevity and wealth, it seems the true mystery is how did a film get a budget for professional level sound, photography, cinematography, set decoration etc with such atrocious acting. It's like the film is cursed and that's the real horror. Almost worth watching to witness the acting. I don't know if these are good performers doing a crap job, or just bad actors. See for yourself.

This "flick" offers nothing for the viewer - the dialogue is weak, the accents are forced, and the acting is - horrible. The camera replaces the inherent beauty of the scenery with a dull, flat landscape, making it look more like a washed out portrait of an old, dried out postcard. Trust me, the camera on your cellphone takes better pictures than this, so you have to question the eye of the director, who for some reason saw this as "cinema worthy." But if you read his bio, you'll see just how highly he sees himself in light of all his "accomplishments.'

Five minutes into the story, you're already picking out the bad parts - which are plenty,- convinced that anything good in this film was purely by accident, which brings me to the appearance of the only known actor in the mess - Dean Cain.

Look, Cain isn't an "Actors' actor" by any stretch of the imagination, but he does have the capability and the credibility of holding his own, be that in a film or the television screen. Which is why you'll spend less time watching the movie and more time trying to figure out why Cain is in it. Note: This is a blessing as it distracts from the bad acting, bad scenery, bad direction- bad everything. And so, here are the possible reasons we've come up with to answer the question:

1. He's related to the director by birth 2. He's related to the director by marriage 3. He's related to the director by a debt he owes to the mob 4. He's related to the director by a secret relationship between them that could involve anything from animal incest to possibly reviving his role as Superman 5. He's the father, godparent, benefactor, sugar daddy of the main character. 6. The main character is aware of the connection between him and the director, which guarantees her a role for life - or until the mob intervenes 7. He was offered an all-expense paid trip to Paris. For the sake of brevity, go with the last reason, as the former ones - though much more interesting, are more likely considered while under the influence. You already know the different themes within 98 minute directorial mental snuff film, but to recap - gothic, supernatural, religious, tradition, yadda, yadda, yadda - It's still one, big mess. Go watch "Dark Shadows." At least the scenery will give you something to appreciate on a budget much less than what this "Vicar/director" put out.

Couldn't take it. Dean Cain should've been my first clue. What garbage. Don't waste your time unless you've got too much to spare.

Unfortunately, I found very little to like in this horror flick. With terribly flat dialogue and acting, plus a storyline that seems to have been cobbled together from so many other horror films, it's even below B-movie quality, in my opinion.

Sam Valentine portrays the beautiful Lucy a flighty but intrepid young American woman who has traveled to France for the funeral of her great-uncle the Count Rose du Sang, at the creepy Castle Borley. Will she succumb to the devil-worshipping clan that resides there or will she break free of her family tradition that may have destined her to join them?

Since the ending was so convoluted, to me at least, I have no idea what actually happened. Maybe, you'll be able to figure it out.

I would say save yourself the pain and pass on this mess of a movie.