Cult Girls

Plot

Dalia and her two young sisters grow up in a pagan apocalyptic cult led by an ancient Baltic goddess of death and reincarnation. On the night of an important cult ritual, a police raid rescues Dalia as cult members flee with her two sisters. Years later, as the guilt eats away at her, Dalia finds a potential link to the cult through a prominent and despised black metal artist sequestered in the woods. Dalia journeys to find her sisters but her quest for the truth becomes a descent into Hell.

Cast

Not familiar with anybody involved

Verdict

An Australian ITN movie, Cult Girls embraces gothic culture. Sadly by people either too deep into it or with no clue, because it's a terrible representation.

If you can get past that you're hit with the films biggest flaw, it's boring. No, I haven't stressed it enough this movie is incredibly boring. I struggled to make it through the runtime, I actually felt my eyes beginning to close, I was so horrifyingly bored watching Cult Girls.

Why? Well the plot is not only dull but it's non-sensical. You can't engage because it makes no sense, neither can you care about the characters because they're so grey and simply uninteresting.

I'll wind up making an ITN list, I expect this to be at the absolute bottom and considering what else will be on the list that's embarassing.

Rants

Who are ITN films for? Very low budget, often featuring the same cast who oddly never seem to change their appearance in the slightest. The writing is always dire, the visual effects are lacking and they always feel so terribly amateurish. Is it intentional? Are they the new Scyfy and/or Asylum? Truly abysmal stuff to a consistency that is quite impressive.

The Good

Nothing springs to mind

The Bad

So very very boring Plot makes little sense Nothing really happens Everything is so forgettable.

It is difficult to determine what this movie is supposed to be about, as it is a mess. The cult is the Golden Path, and they are seeking beautiful girls who are untainted by Christianity, as those become the most powerful in their pagan world. There are three young girls who escape, and as they escape, one vows they will always be together. So the movie becomes a documentary search for the cult leaders? Or is it one woman's desire to unite with her sister? Or is it a lot of things thrown together to make it more mysterious? There is some nice cinematography of old gothic churches, interesting forest scenes, but a lot of muddled scenes thrown in also. There are rituals, hideous masks worn by the men kidnapping the women to give it a more medieval vibe. But in many ways it only serves to become boring.

The music is so loud and overbearing -- prominently by chants -- that, without a subtitles option (of which there isn't one) it makes it extremely difficult to hear what the characters are actually saying (the monk (?) just sounds as though he's mumbling ... and the other characters / actors, you can't tell what they're saying at all. I turned the film off barely five minutes in due to this issue.

The key "inconsistency" is also that the opening statement claims that the events tak place in "Europe in the 13th century ... the last place to be Christianisized" (not even a real word): but takes place in "Terra Australis" (ok ...), and where -- for the 13th century -- obviously white people (of which there weren't any) had electronic lamps and school halls ...There is no contradiction to this supposition, and the film never states differences / otherwise.

Honestly: don't watch this (ahem) "horror"

Cult Girls: A Pagan Apocalyptic Cult in Australia led by a woman who believes she is the reincarnation of a Goddess. They believe that they will rule the Earth after civilization collapses due to climate change etc. They practice human sacrifice and one night they are raided by the police. One sister Dalia, is rescued but two others are taken by the Cult leadership who escape. Fifteen years later Dalia is still seeking her sisters she sees a tv show about a Black Metal guru/hermit who uses the same Rune as her cult. She attends a Black metal gig and meets a metalhead who helps her on her quest. Some really good imagery and horror, though most of the violence is suggested or happens off camera. Nevertheless apostates to the Cult are burned alive, people are shot and stabbed. The acting is uneven though and the narrative can be difficult to follow at times. A few plot twists as well as some of the action switches to Lithuania. If you're into Apocalyptic Cults then you might like this horror flick. Written & Directed by Mark Bakaitis. 5/10.

For those after more of an indie feel and less Hollywood in your horror flick then this film is for you. So refreshing to see such a well crafted folk horror out of Australia! 9/10.