The Taking

Let me get one thing out first: this was not a great movie. It could be a good movie, but right now I'm such in shock that I don't know how I feel. I don't understand the reviews saying this movie is boring or slow. I felt like it had a very nice pace that kept the story rolling and my interest high.

What I will say is that the biggest detriment to this movie is that it was willing to have its characters make stupid choices in order for the creepy, intense scenes to happen. People often don't turn on lights when they are readily available (or should be, maybe there were unspoken reasons why the lights weren't working?). When Deborah becomes violent and injures people, she is not kept under lock and key until they can figure out how to treat her, rather she is allowed to go home time and again so she can do the same things. And of course, people go into places alone when they shouldn't, and don't call for back up when they should.

That being said, I have to hand it to the filmmakers for creating some of the most intense and effective scaring that I've seen in years. Not even just the finale (I'll get to that later) but intermittently. Not everything works, and not every scare is fresh or original, but quite a few of them hit the mark and had me at the edge of my seat.

And finally the ending. I had read in other reviews that this was quite the doozy, and I have to admit I was in no way, shape, or form prepared. I don't want to over-hype it (although I can't imagine how), but that was something I could not have seen coming, and for the first time in my horror-loving life, I actually had to look away from the screen. The image is still burned in my mind.

I can say that the ending almost made the whole thing worth it, but just for setting up the scary bits I can't rationalize all the stupidity the characters show. As a whole, I don't regret watching "Taking" but it definitely had its flaws.

That ending though...

Wow. I'll start by saying I'm not usually a fan of found footage films. I typically think they're boring and hard to follow. But I actually liked this one. It was actually creepy; as a fan of horror movies, I can 100% say that this one had genuinely spooky moments that creeped me out. There were things I've never seen in other horror movies. It also had a decent amount of comedy, which I always appreciate.

Is it the best horror movie ever? Definitely not. But is it an entertaining time? Yes. Does it have genuine scares? Yes. Will horror fans appreciate? Most likely, yes. Again, I'm not a fan of found footage films, but I liked this one. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good old horror.

One of the better horror movies from the last few years. The "horror" genre tag was missing from the IMDb page when I first looked it up (right before I saw it) so I really didn't know what I was getting into - although it was pretty obvious that it would be a horror flick due to the cover picture, but you never know.

The story was well written. It was very clever how they incorporated Alzheimer's disease into the story - well, they didn't "incorporate" it - the disease is the main story, but it was very clever how they made it into a horror movie - the disease is very scary in and of itself.

I have to admit that the acting was a bit iffy, but it became negligible toward the middle of the movie due to the intensity of the story. And Jill Larson gave a stellar performance.

You deal here with the new kind of cinema as you can find nearly everywhere around the world. And, believe it or not, it works. It makes creeps out of you, don't watch it alone at night...The usual horror story which will always work. But besides, you deal here with astounding Oscar winning worth performances. And this astounding little feature also focuses on the terrible aspects of the Alzheimer disease, especially the pictures shown in the first part of the movie. It is fiction, yes, but not only. It is very scary but also not destined to all audiences. a sort of mix up between THE EXORCIST - old influences, very vintage - and the new wave with the likes of BLAIRWITCH PROJECT or REC or PARANORMAL ACTIVITY...

Don't miss it

The Taking of Deborah Morgan, as you must have gathered by now, is a faux-documentary that begins as a sort of record of deterioration. I can think of no better word than "deterioration", since Deborah Morgan falls apart both mentally and physically over the course of the film. You'll find yourself unnerved and saddened by Deborah's confused states and struggles as she loses her memories to what appears to be Alzheimer's Disease. Of course, things take a sinister turn as the crew cataloging the disease's progression begin to see and hear unexplainable phenomena.

The first half of the film is genuinely terrifying, and had me in suspense.It is the film's second half, which I will not divulge here, that was a bit of a letdown. I really wanted to give the film a higher score, but I couldn't come up with more than a 6. All I will say is this: A horror film with a unique premise and a lot of promise gradually works its way back into the clichés of jump-scare Hollywood.

However, I would be remiss if I did not commend the film for its portrayal of three major female characters (who really carry the film)--a Ph. D. student, a troubled daughter, and Deborah herself-- each one fairly layered and driven by palpable human motivations. The whole "freaked-out, over-sexed bimbo" schtick gets old.