One Remains

If the acting and script were better, the movie would probably have been something worth watching. I kept watching hoping that there would be developments in the story but it felt like there was nothing worthwhile that came from this terrible film.

Sort of a partial found footage film, this is an exercise in trying to capture the uneasiness of the deaths of a group of people in a remote forest area. The film crew is interviewing an older man who had been the ranger for the area and found the people dead. His son and grandson are around to help the man as he is reportedly suffering from dementia. Cue a supernatural phenomenon, and the crew start acting weird and are dying or being killed. Note: the film crew are all "characters" who have quirks but these just make them irritating rather than unique. Why is this the case in so many of these smaller films? It doesn't create tension or motivate for sympathy for a character. It just creates annoyance in the viewer. Be prepared for a vague ending that doesn't quite explain "what" is happening regarding the supernatural elements, so you'll just have to be content with that if you watch.

All I knew about this 2019 movie from director Josh Hodgins was that it was a horror movie, which is essentially enough needed to get my attention. And since I hadn't already seen it, of course I took the time to sit down and watch it.

Now, the movie should have been titled "None Remains" because this is how I feel the movie will do to you; you just get up and turn it off. I managed to endure 47 minutes of pure torture before I had enough, caved in and gave up. Nothing of any worth or interest happened in these very, very long 47 minutes. And I can't really claim to have had any interest in the characters either.

Everything in those abysmal 47 minutes was just pointless and bland.

The storyline and plot in "One Remains" was lacking. I seriously have no idea what writers Nancy Criss, Josh Hodgins, Vanessa Leigh and Laura Megan Stahl were trying to accomplish with "One Remains". But pretty impressive that not one, but four, writers manage to produce something this unappealing. That is quite an accomplishment in itself.

As for the acting, well I didn't recognize anyone on the cast list, which is always a plus for me. I am sure that the actors and actresses were doing good enough jobs to the extend of their abilities, but they virtually had nothing - and I seriously mean that - to work with in terms of script, plot and storyline.

I am rating "One Remains" a generous two out of ten stars solely because the movie did seem to have adequate production value at least.

If you enjoy a good horror movie, do yourself a favor and stay well clear of "One Remains". It just simply isn't worth the time, money or effort.

Very intriguing base idea, some smart dialogues, decent acting (Ryan O'Quinn did a great job), nice atmosphere but... disproportionate premises, some unuseful stereotypes, messy structure of the script (or just a wrong editing). I would like to watch a better-made remake of this movie, a new production with more funds and, of course, with a new script.

This film was beautifully shot and directed, a suspense filled scary little indie film with stand out actors. Amazing what you can do on a low budget with skilled cast cast and crew, well done!