It makes such a change to get a supernatural movie that makes the viewer use their imagination, rather than bombarding them with CGI and men in rubber suits. This is a study of the old chestnut, 'Be careful what you wish for'. A young mother whose son had been murdered, seeks revenge on his killers via a magic ritual invoking angels. It's clearly influenced by the "Bornless Ritual", an invocation used by Aleister Crowley to summon his Holy Guardian Angel and the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage which Crowley attempted at Boleskin House on the shores of Loch Ness. The ritual allegedly requires at least 6 months of preparation, celibacy and abstinence from alcohol. However, it also includes the summoning of the 12 Kings and Dukes of Hell, to bind them and remove their negative influences from the magician's life. Crowley was in the process of performing the lengthy ritual, when he was called to Paris by the leader of the Golden Dawn. According legend,he never banished the demons he had summoned, leading to strange happenings occurring in and around Boleskine House. But I digress.
There have been reviews that bang on about how slow this movie is, and it's lack of pace and excitement. But if you have any understanding of the supernatural, and this movie has been meticulously researched, you'd realise that the real horror lies in fear and what happens in your head. This woman, who so craves revenge, is on her own personal spiritual journey. She realises, at the 11th hour, that revenge and hatred offer nothing but pain and emptiness, and that forgiveness, both for her son's killers and herself, is what she really needs to find any peace.
I liked the dynamic between the woman and occultist, the loathing and disrespect, the sharing and mutual need. There's one really funny moment where they both share their recurring dreams.
The film is subtle in its suspense and horror, with a nice slow build and some really creepy effects. The ending seems a bit clichéd, but was saved from being corny by illustrating the power of forgiveness over revenge, and good over evil. On the whole, one of the better horror/supernatural movies of 2017 so far. I loved it.
There have been reviews that bang on about how slow this movie is, and it's lack of pace and excitement. But if you have any understanding of the supernatural, and this movie has been meticulously researched, you'd realise that the real horror lies in fear and what happens in your head. This woman, who so craves revenge, is on her own personal spiritual journey. She realises, at the 11th hour, that revenge and hatred offer nothing but pain and emptiness, and that forgiveness, both for her son's killers and herself, is what she really needs to find any peace.
I liked the dynamic between the woman and occultist, the loathing and disrespect, the sharing and mutual need. There's one really funny moment where they both share their recurring dreams.
The film is subtle in its suspense and horror, with a nice slow build and some really creepy effects. The ending seems a bit clichéd, but was saved from being corny by illustrating the power of forgiveness over revenge, and good over evil. On the whole, one of the better horror/supernatural movies of 2017 so far. I loved it.