Valley of the Witch

Was drawn into seeing 'Valley of the Witch', with a cool poster/cover, a somewhat intriguing if very derivative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for the genre it fits under. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there (though there are decent to good ones as well), made me though apprehensive.

It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws present in those films are here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'Valley of the Witch' is really quite abominable, with so many huge flaws and doesn't do anything with any potential it had. There is net to nothing good here in 'Along Came the Devil', just amateur hour all round. The least thing about it is Bruce Davison.

Going on to the negatives, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it comes over as vague and under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less unsettled and never gaining momentum. All the characters are too sketchy and with cardboard thin and colourless personalities and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates. The chemistry is bland and unfocused.

The sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions), the effects are shoddy and nearly all of the acting is lacking severely on the whole, that's actually an understatement as the worst of it is horrendous. There is no sense of horror or engagement with the awful predicament they're in, and no connecting with the character, it just reeks of indifference and complete blankness which makes the viewer not care less too.

Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace and film drags on forever, apparent from the very start, never recovering that interest is lost fast. The ending has no build-up and just ends ridiculously. Found too many of the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Thrills are none, thanks to stodginess and excessive over-familiarity, and found myself never invested in the drama, which tended to be indifferently acted, interminably paced and statically directed.

A lot of 'Valley of the Witch' has really dull and going nowhere plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you shocked are far from creative or unsettling. It all feels rather tame while the threat completely lacks menace and looks terrible.

Nothing freaky or interesting, no development and too derivative, while everything is unimaginative and are more odd than scary, completely failing to show any sense of dread. There is nothing interesting or illuminating with what the film was trying to do and the drama is overwrought with no momentum and a lot of weirdness. The direction is barely there and disorganised and the music is ill-fitting. 'Valley of the Witch' is very amateurish visually, too drearily lit and shows no care in the way it's shot. The editing has more continuity errors than one can count.

Summarising, terrible. 1/10 Bethany Cox

Not only is the plot simple and boring, but the CGI used is also very, very bad. The acting is not bad but it's not good either. I would personally not recommend this movie to anyone, given the fact that I'm still regretting spending my evening with my friends watching this instead of doing something much more interesting and fun.

Oh my God, this is one of the most awful films I have ever seen . . . I am now convinced if the Actor (I use that term loosely) Lee Bane is in a film, then it is time to hit the off switch. Already seen this below average performer in The Haunting Of Borley Rectory and The Exorcism Of Anna Ecklund (both terrible films) and now this car wreck of a production. What can one say terrible acting, embarrassing script, awful (supposedly based on fact) storylline and then there is the Direction, I have seen better directed pop videos than this and they usually have better continuity. The film jumps from one scene to another with no continuation, boring conversations are imposed upon by random badly filmed Witchcraft Rites (some taken from or based on the old B&W film Haxan), actors look at one another blankly as if waiting for the next piece of script to be written. The Director seems to think he has some unique methods of filming but they come over as silly or over dramatic which is the same thing considering there is not one moment of genuine drama in the film. Do not be fooled by cover artwork on the DVD which is far more impressive than the film itself, this is not Horror . . . just plain horrible! As to the end, well I would call it an anti-climax but it matches the rest of the film perfectly . . . boring, making no sense and drawn out cinematic nonsense that will cure the most severe case of insomnia!

Arriving in a small Welsh village, a woman looking to start over with her life finds an acquaintance with a local neighbor who informs her about the town's macabre history with witchcraft, and when the truth comes out that a curse in the town is being enacted must find the connection to stop it.

This was a likable genre effort. One of the better features of this one is the generally impressive setup that manages to provide quite a lot to enjoy by generating the kind of intriguing setup that has a lot going on. The arrival at the village and the idea of integrating herself into the community by befriending the neighbor but becoming drawn into a devious plot by the constant sightings of witchcraft lore and paraphernalia in the community or the attack by the strange-robed intruder provide a solid grounding for what's going on here. These give way to the reveal of the supernatural forces surrounding the town's history which brings up the history of witchcraft and the incidents that were in place there that spurn the need to return and wreak havoc with the plot for revenge that sets everything in motion here, giving this one a rather fun time here with this build-up. The other really impressive feature here is the way the eventual build-up of this focuses on the means of revenge without actually bringing them back as physical entities like what so many would do on this occasion. There's a decided focus to feature the revenge in a more ethereal sense with plenty of stand-out sequences showing the witch curse coming to play more as them influencing events that culminate with their untimely demise. This is an unusual approach that leads to a genuinely chilling atmosphere with the idea of not knowing who they're targeting or when which then makes the instances when the physicality is present feel that much more intriguing as the final half turns that into a far more featured aspect of this. There aren't too many flaws present but it does have a few small factors. The main drawback present with this one is the rather unique choice to present the big action scenes involving the witch's curse coming to life while in stark slow-motion sequences that feel like out-of-body experiences. Whether that was the intent or the disorientation felt while dealing with the supernatural, the consequence of some of the scenes is more comical than frightening which is the case here. Scenes like the policeman confronting the malevolent force or the arrival at the priests' house are the main culprits of this as they remain quite underwhelming with the way they're presented which carries over to several other sequences here. The other real drawback to this one is the actual finale which is equally underwhelming being not just shot silent like those other scenes but featuring some questionable developments to have played out which might not sit well with everyone, and with its low-budget origins are the factors that bring this one down.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.

After going through a divorce, Kristin inherits her aunt's house in a small village. As she arrives a spate of unexplainable suicides occur and Kristin gets drawn into the evil brewing in the town.

This is a really low budget production, so if you're expecting a masterpiece of cinema, with good special effects, I'm sure "Valley of the Witch" isn't what you're looking for.

The plot is really bad. I don't like stories told in a twisted way. This is a shame because even at around 80 minutes it still feels too long with a number of scenes far too drawn out to hold your interest. The story is tied up from the middle to the end of the film.

The cast isn't good (I didn't feel particularly attached to any of the characters), and, finally, the script is very poor.

I don't recommend. 1/10.