Deadly Dealings

This is the debut film from Adam Freeman (known for his roles in such films as 'Debbie Does Demons & 'Found Footage: The Series). The film stars: Roni Jonah (from 'Wicked Ones', Powerbomb, and the anthology 13 Slays till X-mas) as Mary Stephens, she is recovering from the loss of her brother Hank played by Stephen McGill (known for Curse of the Weredeer and Truly, Madly).

Though this loss is her best friend and confidant, Milo (played by the director himself) who is a cute and lovable 'spiritual enthusiast' and "sleep eater" who through different ways tries to console his friend as well as to help her get some kind of healing from this tragedy that she has endured.

Milo decides it is up to him (through the help of a paranormal TV show), to help Mary as best as he can so he introduces her to a spirit board as a means to communicate with her brother. Reluctantly, she takes up Milo on his offer and they come into contact with a spirit that has more than helping Mary on its mind. Nightmares begin, and Mary begins questioning her sanity after several visits from the spirit which has insidious plans for the young woman.

Although only running at a little over a hour, it covers alot of great topics in the horror genre which are executed and come across well on camera.

The film is a slow burn and can drag on for quite a bit until the horror really begins, but Milo and Mary are both quite likable that you enjoy getting to know them. The acting from all that are involved did a great job, the visuals and the colours used in the film are nothing short of beautiful. The colours remind me of early Argento or something from a Tim Burton film.

Do your self a favour and check out this fun lil gem and keep a eye out on this upcoming director.

Mary misses her deceased brother Hank. She's living with her best friend Milo. Milo is into Tarot cards and communicating with spirits. Mary attends therapy sessions to help her grieve her brother, but she still has dreams about him and she just can't move on.

One evening Mary and Milo get out the ol' Ouija board, hoping to make piece with past and move on. Mary ends up unleashing something sinister that she thinks is her brother, but it's really not.

Deadly Dealings runs just slightly over an hour. I found things to be a little bit slow.

The overall cast is pretty solid. Helene Udy (One Night Only), Roni Jonah (Shark Exorcist, Slaughterhouse Slumber Party), Adam Freeman, Stephen McGill, Dixie Gers, Leslie Mindy, and last but not least, one of my favorites Jessa Flux (Murdercise, CarousHELL 3).

Still upset over her deceased brother, a woman attempts to utilize any format she can to seek closure but the longer she goes on the path about doing this the more she succumbs to a demonic creature tempting her into his grasp which soon puts herself and her friends in his path.

This was a pretty interesting overall effort with a lot to like about it. One of the finest aspects here is the solid setup that manages to provide a believable and realistic grounding for the later genre thrills to emerge from. Getting a clear idea of the relationship she shares with her brother through the interactions she has with friends and family discussing her life since the accident as well as the recollection she reveals about what happened the night of his death creates the proper base for what's going on. It provides the necessary framing to understand the motivation for joining up with the seance and the interaction with the demon that moves this one along quite nicely. That allows the film to become quite enjoyable with the results of the seance generating some rather fun moments. With the dream meeting between her and the demonic entity bringing about a rather fun setup that generates some tension in the second half involving whether or not the deal has been for her benefit with the twists that are shown, this becomes geared more towards genuine genre thrills. The final encounters provide some quite fun scenes as well with the fanatical bloodshed and offering some enjoyable aspects with the demonic beings getting a chance to shine with the twists provided here that all give the film quite a lot to like. There are some factors here that bring this one down. One of the biggest drawbacks is the somewhat confusing finale that opts for twists in the outcome of the finale where it opts for a strange subversion to the expected outcome that might not be for everyone. The actions here feel rushed and forced with how it all transpires as hardly any of it makes sense with what's explained how it all fits into the storyline of what's going on is such a departure from what came before that it's quite odd to see play out. As well, there's also an issue with the first half that takes a while to get to the action with all the setup to everything which, for such a short film, can be a bit of a drag that holds it down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, and Brief Nudity.