Conjurer

I'm quite wary of American ghost stories since they always seem to have several dozen false scares, loud sound effects and music, shock for shock sake that only shows a lack of imagination and dimwitted characters doing dimwitted things. A few of the exceptions are The Sixth Sense and What Lies Beneath. Spain has the best so far with The Others and The Orphanage. Most supernatural films that dish out the shocks can't or won't attempt unsettling, eerie or creepy moments because they have no faith in the audience who will think it's not scary enough or too slow. So even though this does not have a big budget and its actors are no names, they rose to the challenge. I was genuinely surprised to find the clichés kept to the absolute minimum!!! And thank God it was not a bloody repeat of The Ring! Enough with those films that all feel cut from the same cloth!! Are there things in this story that I would have chosen to do differently? yes, several of the scenes ended with weak transitions and I think the ending raised the question on just how much into the mind a ghost bent on revenge can reach that was a bit of a puzzler. But the pacing held my interest with a good rhythm, built on the suspense well and a spooky climax. So I'm happy to write as a fan of ghost stories that this was quite good.

This is actually a pretty good little indie flick. Yeah there's nothing revelatory or terribly unique about the story framework but they didn't go down the gore road and attempted something of a throwback with creepiness instead of blood, something I can appreciate. I was actually pretty surprised. If you need something scary to happen right away then forget it...better watch something else. This is a gradual, slow burn kind of pacing that I didn't mind. I also didn't really know where the story was going and the ending caught me off guard with a psychological twist that was different. And different is good any day over same old shock or gore or Asian retread.

We happened to catch this at the Dances With Films Festival and at the Action On Film International Film Fest where it won 'Best Horror'. I wouldn't call this a horror film because the term usually means lots of splatter and this has little blood but there's no category for 'Best Supernatural' or 'Best Ghost' story at any of these fests which is too bad, that would be a better category even though it had it's share of creepy moments. Both screenings had very positive reaction and we were glad to see this especially guessing the producers had about as much money as the catering budget of a studio picture for their film. In this case it worked to their advantage because the story benefited with a gradual creepy film that never signaled where it was going or how it would end. There is always the danger of piling on a lot of effects when you have the money but here they got very good mileage out of the story that could have gone over the top and blown the mood. Also wanted to mention the lead actor, he was very good especially in the last ten minutes. Doubt this will get any kind of theatrical release but will do well on DVD. So much better than 95% of the straight to DVD releases.

A young couple moves into an old farmhouse a year after losing their unborn child. Strange, unexplained events take place, seemingly having to do with an abandoned cabin on the property.

CONJURER is an exceptional supernatural thriller. Or, perhaps it's something else. It could either be about a curse / occult conspiracy, or a man driven by schizophrenic delusions. The filmmakers have done a fantastic job of balancing dark, magical images with paranoid thinking and less-than-sane reactions from the protagonist (Andrew Bowen).

We're never quite sure if he's being tormented by a sinister entity, or simply breaking away from reality. Though the epilogue hints at a possible answer, it's sort of left to interpretation. This movie keeps us guessing throughout...

This just played at the Illinois International Film Festival and won Best Horror Film. I wanted to see it because ghost stories are my favorite genre and I read the story background so it seemed something I would definitely like. When I read here about it winning Best Horror Film at the other film festival and not really being a horror film I had to agree and wanted to write a comment about what others are probably expecting and not getting. This is not a horror movie with a bit of supernatural, it's a supernatural story with a bit of horror. Horror today means blood and guts and splatter and gore and screaming and yelling and this has none of that. Good ghost stories always are slower paced with unsettling creepy touches that can be moody and Gothic and spooky. I'm not a fan of certain genres so I'm not going to watch them and then get angry that I didn't like it and found it boring. So here's a tip to splatter fans and gorehounds >> AVOID THIS MOVIE << to the rest of you who like slower paced quality spooky movies, this is really worth watching. It's not great, but it's a nice surprise. I'm giving it nine stars because I appreciate the effort to do something that fans like me will enjoy and call attention to it for others of like mind. BTW if you're a ghost fan make sure and check out THE ORPHANAGE and don't be scared off by the subtitles!!!!!!