I Am ZoZo

This movie is so very not-good. I usually enjoy Ouija board films, which in general are usually not considered 'good', but I could not enjoy this film. I was very intrigued when I first heard of it, after reading and hearing stories of the infamous, notorious entity named "ZoZo"... oh man this is like the kind of film you would relax to. For real. I wanted to 'get the story', I wanted to understand it and I fell asleep several times while trying to watch this very boring immaterial film. I finally did manage to finish it off, but I will never watch it again unless I'm having insomnia. The filming and music is just awful too. Many times there is a long scene of just nothing, it is hard to hold attention, and you catch yourself trying to entertain yourself in some other way than this boringness, and when there actually is dialogue relevant to this very irrelevant film, you miss it. It is spooky at a very minimal level. It feels as if no effort was really put into this. I give 2 stars for using a very beautiful antique Mystifying Oracle board in this film.

Good evening, everyone! I'm Mr. C Reviewer, and tonight we'll be diving into the film I Am ZoZo. I had the opportunity to watch it on Tubi. This movie originally premiered on February 18, 2012, and has a runtime of 1 hour and 31 minutes. It is rated for viewers aged 15 and older. Notably, parts of the film were filmed in Washington, USA. As an individual on the autism spectrum, I found the inclusion of subtitles to be immensely beneficial, as they significantly improved my ability to engage with the dialogue throughout the film. The film was both directed and written by Scott Di Lalla.

Summary: As the night progresses, the atmosphere thickens with tension as the group encounters a variety of spirits. What begins as a light-hearted séance quickly spirals into a chilling ordeal when ZoZo unveils its malevolent intentions, posing a grave threat to their lives and mental stability.

Review: -The film's opening failed to effectively engage me or establish a compelling tone for the horror experience anticipated from a story cantered around a Ouija board and an evil entity. After an initial scene where a group of friends encounters the demon by name, we are presented with text on screen indicating that the movie is based on true events. This was followed by an introduction to Tess as a child, narrated by her older self as she seeks help from a Mr. Evans. I appreciated how the film focused on the theme of the supernatural, particularly highlighting the risks associated with using Ouija boards. It acts as a cautionary tale, warning viewers about the potential repercussions of invoking malevolent spirits and emphasizing the necessity of exercising caution when engaging with supernatural elements. The pacing was slow from the outset, which hindered my ability to become fully invested in the narrative. I appreciated that the film was set on Halloween night, as I always look forward to holiday-themed movies that are centred around specific celebrations. The casting for the film was commendable, and while the acting was satisfactory, it occasionally fell short of being exceptional. The performances were competent but lacked a lasting impact. This was largely due to an absence of a robust script and engaging dialogue, which I felt limited the actors' opportunities to shine and ultimately affected their ability to deliver truly remarkable performances. The sound design appeared to lack cohesion and finesse, which diminished the overall viewing experience. I feel that the soundtrack failed to deliver the essential suspense and emotional resonance that could have significantly enhanced the film's impact.

-I appreciated certain aspects of the film's cinematography; however, I felt that the use of zoomed-in shots was excessive and somewhat overused. Some camera placements appeared random and detracted from the overall viewing experience, coming across as distracting and lacking professionalism. The camera work also exhibited instability, with certain scenes reminiscent of a "found footage" style, yet without any acknowledgment from the actors regarding the presence of the camera. The use of Super 8mm film and handheld camera added to the home movie quality, but it also made the movie feel low-budget and unpolished. The soft lighting created an appealing atmosphere, though some areas could have used more brightness for clarity. I often adjust my screen's brightness for an enhanced viewing experience, which was particularly helpful with this film.

-I appreciated the storyline, but I believe it had the potential to be much better. It would be wonderful if this movie could have a chance for a re-do, as it feels like a missed opportunity otherwise. I was pleased to discover that there is a short film titled "ZOZO," which was uploaded to YouTube in 2020 by KilkennyVFX. This film has a runtime of approximately five minutes.

I rate each film I watch out of 10 and for this one, I give it a 3.4 Remember this was what I thought about the movie personally and I suggest that you give it a go for yourself.

If you believe that such a movie can in any way be spoiled (it can't) then know that this review contains spoilers at the bottom.

I wish I could give this a 0 rather than the minimum 1 star.

I don't even understand why it's classified as "Horror, Thriller", as it contains no horror and no thrills. Also no suspense, no scares, no plot twists, and no special effects of any kind...

The *presumed* "evil" (what?) in the movie is simply suggested, and absolutely nothing of any kind happens.

If you watched this without knowing the title, genre or synopsis, you would come to the conclusion that you're watching a group of people filming themselves while on a weekend trip (to a remote cabin, of course) where they get so drunk they start scaring themselves after using a Ouija board.

In case you're still wondering: definitely. no. horror OR thriller.

The only blood you see here comes when one of the characters cleans a fish before cooking it; there's no violence of any form, nobody dies (on camera) nobody gets as much as injured.

The acting is as bad as it comes, the directing is awful, and you just won't believe how bloody silly the ending is.

It's also filmed in the style of - and with the unsteady hand of - a "found tape" movie, however the actors never interact with whoever is holding the camera or acknowledge their presence, which makes the experience just weird and unlikely from the get go.

Don't bother watching it, you'd regret it ==== "spoilers" after this===

Reason breaks down at the end, when one of the protagonists, revealed to be in an asylum (and playing the cello) says:

"BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BOARD? NO-ONE CAN FIND IT"

to which another character (glimpsed briefly at the beginning of the movie but never introduced, for the love of zozo) replies:

"I'm here, I'M GOING TO TAKE THE BOARD WITH ME"

... so, yeah, not all that difficult to find was it?

1st, psychiatric institutions will absolutely not allow you to keep an object (or be in a situation, if at all avoidable) that causes you anxiety or fear, so the board would be an absolute no-no.

2nd, I've yet to see a psych hospital that allows you to play a musical instrument (she's not even supervised by staff), but the setting is American, so they might, in Europe forget it.

This is the worst movie I have ever sat through and I regret it! I read a review that said it wasn't bad but it really is!

The acting is hilariously bad, with wooden delivery.The script itself could have been improved by a six year old.

The story is a been there, done that, over told Ouija board urban legend. The fact that this is supposedly based on real events is laughable.

The only thing this has going for it is some nice scenery and a fantastic soundtrack.Neither of these things is enough to save it.

The entire film relies on childish fears of the dark type of scares.

I would recommend you skip it.

A group of friends go out to a holiday home on an island on Halloween. The acting is fine and despite the well used setup it's actually pretty believable. The low key story about them playing around with an ouija board is quite good up to a point. The problem is that towards the end they seem to lose interest in telling a story and not a whole heap happens.

Talking slowly and drawling your words isn't scary either, it's just kind of annoying. As is the awful camera-work which bobs around constantly. It's also got the worst music imaginable, especially the last song. It made me laugh out loud it was that bad.

It's a shame there isn't more of a story here because I liked it until they lost interest in trying to scare me. Too much home movie and not enough horror for my tastes. Courtney Foxworthy (the witchy one) is definitely an asset to the movie though and helped me make it to the credits and that awful nasal song!