Flay

We start off with a flashback of a native american tribesman who gets tortured and brutally murdered. Before his death he curses the chains with which he is bound with.

Fast forward, we see Moon(played by Elle LaMont) returning to her home town in order to prepare the wake of her mother. Unfortunately she receives a cold welcome from her brother (played by Dalton E. Gray) who appears to hate his older sister for leaving him behind to take care of their junkie mother by himself. Once home she realizes that her mother may have unleashed an evil spirit that is haunting her and her younger brother.

Considering the budget I think that some of the effects were very well done and the visuals were very decent. The story was unique and oddly enough quite enjoyable considering I am not the biggest fan of the Slenderman franchise. I did not expect to enjoy this movie since it is a low budget movie about Slenderman (a combination that sounded very bad for me) but I must admit that I was wrong. Yes there are a lot of plot holes and confusing points in the movie, combined with bad acting and forgettable characters but there is something about the movie that appealed to me. It does not fail to keep the tension throughout the movie and it keeps you entertained more than a lot of the big budget horror films that have come out lately.

Overall it's a fun B movie has its moments. If you are looking for a random movie to watch it fits the role perfectly.

2019 has been a mess of a year so far and movies like Flay certainly aren't doing it any favors.

After the death of her mother a girl returns home, rekindles friendships, reunites with her estranged brother and battles a supernatural force.

Seen that before, but it's not normally this bad. The story is an absolute abomination, I can't stress just how much of a mess it is. At no point did I care where the story was going or the fates of any of the characters. In fact a lot of the time I really had very little clue as to what I was even watching.

Does that look like Slender Man on the cover? Well it is, kind of.........but this isn't a Slender Man movie. They just decided to throw him in because erm....reasons?

Awful plot, awful sfx, awful cast, just plain awful all round.

The Good:

That would be a no

The Bad:

Awful deaths

Rather boring

No originality

We should see more movies of this tall dude. Good direction by Eric Pham. You can tell it's an indie film, but it sure doesn't look like it. Flay has a Hollywood feel to it and yet it's very artistic on its own way. It was a good choice to not constantly push the Faceless villain in front of our faces (pun intended). Keeping Flay mysterious with only glimpses of him shows great restraint and creativity. Highly recommended!

The story is your typical vengeance evil slaughter set up, and for what it's worth a decent story that would have made for a good paranormal horror had Pham not so desperately wanted to attach his film to the cultural craze happening around Slender Man. "Flay" offers up a varitable smorgasbord of bland melodrama and predictable schlock horror gimmicks in a blend of folklore and urban legend. Exploitation of Native heritage aside, a indigenous curse against Invaders that leeches its way through the centuries killing anyone who comes in contact with it or a cursed soul, is a great starting point.

Story aside, "Flay" doesn't balance out this flaw of flimsily blending horror tropes with great drama or situational substantial moments. A lot of the actions and dialog between characters seem off beat or out of step with what is going on at the moment. Some cast members seem less convinced about their character's predicament with one exception, the lead actress gives the best performance of all. And if you have to continuesly try and convince me how a Native American transforms into a Slender Man entity, and I still don't buy it, then maybe it's not the best creative choice to make conceptually.

Now to the fun stuff. The horror, the effects and the creepy things. "Flay" stays predictably within the familiar realm of paranormal mayhem. Scenes of sketchy jump scares, haunting spirits and plenty of CGI exploits are offered in an attempt to scare. With a lot of the used gimmicks the results vary. The jump scares fall flat, a couple got me, but the stuff I enjoyed was the typical ghosty tricks. Creepy spirit behind the victim, death scenes in traditional vengeful spirit fashion. As tacky as it may come I am a sucker for most of it. "Flay" is no exception. Overall this film will not be enjoyed by all. There is a lot wrong, but there are moments that shine. Go into it with an open mind and don't expect too much.

The music gives me the creeps. The muted colors and the splash of red scenes are perfect for the mood. Loved every moment of it.