Jessica's Room

Could this actually be the worst horror film of all time?

Typically, when seeking out a bad movie, I try to draw comparisons to the level of bad that Tommy Wiseau's "The Room" has given us. That style of bad that ends up being hilarious and quotable, and has come about completely organically (ie: the director was unaware just how bad their film actually was. Is good movie, yes?)

This was beyond that level of bad. The poor acting left me feeling dirty instead of amused; expressions of fear were played more like sarcasm; and I have no idea where that plot was going, but it wasn't in any direction that I was able to determine.

As many horror movie tropes as possible were explored, but never quite came to fruition. It is my opinion that you either own a horror trope and throw yourself into it, or you put a completely original twist on it in order to leave the viewer pleasantly surprised. Jessica's Room did neither. From the panda-eyed goth-phase exorcism scenes to the disappointing bathroom-party-sex scene, none of the typical horror genre clichés seemed to go anywhere good, and it was ultimately disappointing.

But, if you have persevered through the poor CGI, the shockingly appalling script/delivery of script and entirely messy sequence of events (including a bible verse that adds insult to injury and assumes you are entirely stupid - which you must be, because you're five minutes in and still watching this movie), you are rewarded with the most amazing ending of all time. A film that literally seems to end when they ran out of money. An ending that offers no closure, no resolution and no satisfaction. It just...kind of...ends... and leaves you staring at the credits in silent awe. That is, until a 5 second cut scene comes up, the sole purpose of which seems to be confusing the viewer even more. But then there really is nothing. After an hour and 16 minutes, the only thing that this movie has left you with is the realisation that you have lost enough time to have immersed yourself in a good movie instead.

This is not a terrible movie you will quote. This is not a terrible movie you will download - or keep in your download folder if you already have. This is not a movie that is worth using as a coaster, should you have purchased it. This is a film that you will push into the deep recesses of your memory, never to resurface. You will never be quite the masochist to subject anyone else to it, or even warn them about it - because you would hate to put ideas into their heads.

Don't go there.

This is a tough movie to categorize. It has a lot of problems in continuity and the acting is not the best. It has some good ideas related to possession and found footage. The movie also just ends. I've thought about this ending a lot. The more I think, the more I like this approach. It works for the story and the approach. However, it makes for a very bleak, depressing and disturbing movie experience.

Overall, it is memorable but not a great movie.

I might have to justify myself as to why I watched JESSICA'S ROOM . Truth be told no one had come on to the IMDb to post any comments on it . Being a prolific reviewer on the IMDb can sometimes be compared to being an explorer but the unfortunate thing is you rarely come across a beautiful valley and if a film is undiscovered there might be a good reason for this

To be fair it gets off to a good start with a hook that draws you in and leaves you thinking you're going to be watching a mildly diverting horror . I did think perhaps I'd be watching yet another lost footage type movie which is long past its sell by date but thankfully this isn't what the movie is . Alas it becomes clear very quickly this isn't much of a compliment . What it JESSICA'S ROOM is a paranormal activity type film made on a low to no budget featuring not very good actors trying and failing to bring a cinema verite style to the movie . As you may expect the technical aspects are left wanting and not much happens storywise with an ending that screams the budget ran out while the film was still being shot

I wonder how lonely this review will be before another review joins it ?