Family Demons

Mixing with the A-list in Adelaide is always a treat, though admittedly, being called A-list in Adelaide is akin to being best ice-skater in Ethiopia. What does it really mean?? Thanks to on-the-rise director/producer Ursula Dabrowsky, Mel (aka RECYCLOPATH) and I were invited the the cast and crew screening of her new film FAMILY DEMONS at Adelaide's MERCURY CINEMA.

I must say that I have become severely jaded where genre films are concerned and didn't hold out high hopes for this low-budget, indie release. It takes something out of the ordinary to hold my interest these days, one too many installments in the SAW series has all but sapped the life out of me. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that Ursula has crafted a nifty, original and effective film that maintains interest for most of its 80 minute running time.

In short it's about abuse and the ghosts that never leave us, in every sense of the term.

Newcomer Cassandra Kane is excellent in the lead role as Billie, the tortured teen who ends up with blood on her hands and a terrifying spectre following her every move. Kane really will be an actress to reckon with in years to come and given her young age it's all the more impressive that she carries the whole film.

The supporting cast are all good, with special mention going to Kerry Reid as Billie's alcoholic, abusive and downright unpleasant mother.

The film, for the most part, belies it's low-budget and is beautifully shot.

And, credit where it's due, it contains a twist that I certainly didn't see coming. Rare these days when everything is telegraphed within an inch of its life.

So Kudos to all involved. It's exciting to imagine what Ursula can come up with with a decent budget. Let's hope it's not too long till we find out.

Don't let this title slip under your radar, by far and away one of the most impressive low budget movies to come my way this year.

Filmed to give a dark, foreboding atmosphere throughout, this movie will grab you by the throat and not let up until you get to the climatic ending.

The relationships the director portrays throughout, are well developed and leave you in no doubt as to what the message is she's trying to put across.

Very very impressive with a very dark subject matter, that whilst the horror elements adds to the feeling, the actual message contained in it, is far more frightening.

Don't Miss This.

This is the perfect example that you don't need a bloated budget to make a creepy film and more importantly one that will remain with you for hours and days afterwards. I have to say the acting in this film was top notch especially with the main two leads. If I had 25 000 dollars right now and I was going to direct a low budget horror film about two young girls that were mentally and physically tortured throughout Cassandra Kane and the lead actress of the Loved Ones are my pics. Ms Kane you were amazing and I felt your pain throughout the entire film. In fact I felt your performance was tantamount to the poor tortured souls of the two leads in my favorite horror film of all time Martyrs and that is saying a lot considering it took two decades for Martyrs to exceed my previous fav film Hellraiser. I can't wait for this director to make another film and when people say they don't make horror like they used to, I laugh and say your right they make them better now.

I agree that the message being sent across is very important, BUT I don't think this is a horror movie. In my opinion, it's more of a drama slash suspense film.

Cinematography/Film quality: It's obviously low-budget and will look like it all throughout. Nothing outstanding in this aspect and the location is pretty much the same, but it's acceptable and better than some I've seen before.

Actors: The lead actress is good. She looks really neurotic, though I thought there was too much heavy breathing on her part, that I was actually afraid she'd pass out. The supporting cast was good too, considering it's a movie lacking any financial backing.

Story: I didn't find the story as amazing as what I've read in the first three reviews. Yeah, it is watchable, but nothing original and nothing that would really stand out. It comes across as borderline amateurish, but I still enjoyed the ending, which I thought made watching the movie worth it.

The girl did not look abused, unless they were going for the verbal kind. The chain looks so thin and fragile that I had to suppress my laughter, thinking my dog could break that chain in less than a minute. There were too many loopholes in the story, I guess, but the concept is still quite adequate. ( I have this propensity of not passing up movies involving ghosts. )

There is some blood, no gore or nudity. It's not fast-paced nor thrillingly suspenseful. It would probably make a number of people yawn, but if you're the patient kind, you'll probably survive through this.

Had heard this was good but right away I did not like the acting, cinematography or direction. Camera work was really bad. Don't know why some people made it sound so great. The first Australian horror or crime film I have not liked in a long time.