Shadow Beings (2005 Video) User Reviews

First no budget film

[keyhonay · 7/10 · 15 April 2007]

This was my first no budget film introduction. I have since watched many and have been very happy that this was my first. I might have never watched them again if it was some of the ones I have watch since then. The first thing that got me about this movie was the sound track. It was placed perfectly and went along with the classic style opening credit and continued throughout the film. Next was the care the writer/director took with the whole story and presenting it through the film, it is amazing that this was a no budget film. The story flows well and ends 90% better then half the Hollywood crap I sit through just to suffer painfully at the end for. Would love to see what he could come up with if he had a few bucks. I give it a 7 based on what it is and not what it is not.

Rising Twists

[eatthefishdotcom · 7/10 · 7 June 2007]

Shadow Beings is very impressive first time effort. If you keep the complete lack of budget in mind the creative special effects are amazing. My personal favorites are the primitive impaled on a spear and the lizard demon coming out of the candle flame. At places the style gets a little self indulgent and heavy handed. This movie's most redeeming quality is it's structure of increasingly frequent plot twists. The movie takes a while to get moving past the at times clumsy exposition, but ends in a dizzying amount of 180s nearly constantly turning the established world on it's head. By the end I forgive the awkward early dialog scenes. A very satisfying watch.

An interesting and worthwhile insight into the closed world(s) of a supernatural roller-coaster

[ron-kidd · 6/10 · 23 May 2007]

A striking, edgy, shocking,and magnificently unpredictable movie for a first time filmmaker.......All constructed on a nano budget. Now that "being" said. The areas where this movie lacked are areas which are easily correctable. This film had some shots that drug on a bit too long. Overall the acting was good, minus a wooden character or two. But, as I said, easily correctable. I watched this movie twice, which, especially for an independent flick with a small budget, is something I don't usually do. This movie with a larger budget..Bigscreen bound. I'm looking forward to seeing what else this new director has lurking in the shadows........

Ambitious - Zero Budget Indie

[MorsePacific · 4/10 · 1 April 2007]

Qwirky indie production. Lots of references to the metaphysical, Celtic weirdness, and yes even IRAQ. (Topical). Neato effects - but not enough action, no chases or disembowelment's (read - a bit slow moving).

The plot moves sideways into alternate realities, pay attention or you'll get lost. Oh yeah, the chicks are Hott.

Main character Brian feels like he's being watched, mostly because he is. Then with some of his new age, Wiccan buds, he opens a portal to another universe during a séance. Bad news, as Evil things can come through unlocked doors. People get killed and Brian himself get's sucked into the other universe where he meets his Uber Mentor - Enki "of the Annunaki". You'd think all of this would get sorted out, but no, like Yoda this guy speaks in riddles about the nature of the universe and Quantum Foam. (Quantum Physics and Ancient Mysticism? See what I mean? Ambitious.) Everything Brian tries keeps making it worse. If he can't get this fixed, the whole Universe could blink out.

Be sure to watch the outtakes - Indie film-making is a riot. Also, some of the behind the scenes shows just how little equipment and crew they had to shoot this gem. You'll appreciate what director Charles Bryan (Brian?) managed to accomplish even more.

Great flick for first time

[bestbard · 8/10 · 24 June 2007]

Despite playing the homeless priest, I found the finished product to be quite entertaining, despite some minor flaws. The special effects were executed very well, and the story with its plot twists is very engaging. The opening sequence is intriguing and the musical score by Guthrie Lowe has a classical feel to it. It sets the proper mood for the storyline. In tackling a modern myth/phenomenon Charls Bryan has done his homework, drawing on actual reports of these type of beings. The film is fictional but has a lot of historical references. Kudos to Scholar Charles Bryan. The overall cast seems to work well together. And the men in black scene was fitting. Enki's scene took a little to long to really relate to it, although a lot of information was revealed. I especially liked the surprise ending. Good job!!! Keeping in mind this was essentially a no budget movie, Charles has worked a modern miracle. I look forward to seeing more of his work.

Great Googley Moogley

[babuenafe · 7/10 · 20 February 2010]

Mr. Bryan has taken a event everyone can relate to, to the next level. Though this movie drags in the beginning, once you get into the plot of no-see-ums or almost-see-ums, his masterful telling of this tale shows pure talent. I enjoyed the concept of dual worlds. The priest was hilarious. His use of special effects were good considering a limited budget. The candle is distracting, though I understand the significance. The cast seemed well rehearsed and in tune to the story line. All in all, I can see a bright future for Mr. Bryan. He tied numerous situations together beautifully. I especially enjoyed his "guest appearance" toward the end.

neat indie movie

[dutchchocolatecake · 8/10 · 6 December 2013]

I like indie movies, but I really like movies that do their homework on the content even more. "Shadow Beings" is both.

I am impressed that this movie is made with basically a one-to-two man crew, and that was it. For a no-budget movie, the special effects were pretty good. I've seen worse on SyFy with a bigger budget. I hope maybe SyFy will pick this up and give it the financial backing it deserves to be a feature made-for-TV movie.

A part from the research done on shadow people, I enjoyed the artistic symbolism. The fractals and other imagery illustrated the content nicely.

I read the FAQ, and it mentions that this was going to be a series. I can see "shadow beings" easily being a pilot for an online video series.

Entertainment Value

[belindabentley · 7/10 · 10 November 2007]

I was entertained and found truth in the script itself, I liked the ideas and I am not rating on the budget, but rating on script and entertainment value. I think it is great entertainment if you love indie films. I like anything that has to do with the other realms. I felt I could identify with the characters for the most part and the special effects were kinda cool too. I was really caught in the first 1 or so of the film because it draws you in with something familiar yet, unsettling and unnerving. It is a big accomplishment to have someone hooked before the first 5 minutes and he did it with in seconds. Definitely check this out!

Reminiscent of the "Butterfly Effect" and chemically-altered state

[xanger · 8/10 · 22 May 2007]

For it's simple locations and cast, creative special effects and editing -- Shadow Beings showcases what a shoestring "Indie" can do. The story is not lost in the process -- even though the transitions at some of the scene edits were a tad too long -- a tangible hesitancy that had a feel of not-quite-right where the edits should be flowing, falling into the ongoing story. While the pace may have suffered some, the net effect was to add an intangible uneasiness to the suspense. Excellent use of establishing shots to set the stage and varied perspectives of the unfolding story are informative and disorienting at the same time. Great effort -- looking forward to your next work!

Shadow Beings has me looking over my shoulder.

[steveleahy · 9/10 · 29 August 2008]

I can remember the movie Shadow Beings over many other high budget Hollywood films. The content was excellent, as were the effects and filming. Charles Bryan has a good sense for the "dark" picture.

As with a low budget film, acting can have it's shortcomings when positioned against limited resources and inadequate time for planning/rehearsing.

Obviously, a higher budget could have added much to this film. However, the concept was far superior in originality than any recent Hollywood film (why was this not already done?). I think a high budget remake is warranted.

Rock on

[evanjohnson7 · 9/10 · 1 May 2007]

Who are we kidding, for a no budget movie this is freaking Citizen Kane! The cinematography of Sonoma County is awesome and the actors bring the characters off the page. The story and musical score open the mind to political parallels in our world today. After watching this movie you have to wonder what the director could do with a real budget and these ideas. Take a look at this movie and you will view the natural beauty of Santa Rosa parks and of a piece of small town history. As well as some of the beautiful Bodega Bay coastline. This is a slice of California scene in the films of Hitchcock, but hard to find on the media guide of todays entertainment conglomerate.

this movie ROCKS!!!

[dhlawlor · 8/10 · 23 June 2008]

This director has done another great job. His work is always entertaining .I cant wait for someone to invest so we can see what he can do with a large budget full length feature film. We all need to keep an eye on this guy he is going places. Check out his Elm st. video as well, he was able to make riding a bike down a street a scary experience not everyone has the ability to do such a thing. Back to shadow people I don't know what his budget was but he was able to create a movie that not only entertains but keeps you guessing what's next. The special effects were awesome. I have recommended this movie to all the people on my page on myspace and my friends all agree. The only thing that was distracting was some of the actors. don't get me wrong there were some great performances in there, it just seemed a couple of the actors could use a little more practice. But what can a director do except try to bring out the best in them .I hope to see this film on a bigger screen or a film festival to get the total impact of the work done.

Awesome!!!

[makacaja · 8/10 · 27 June 2008]

I have only seen this movie twice but I find something new every time. I have rented movies from other directors of sci-fi and have barely made it through the first thirty minutes of the film. This film intrigued me to continue to watch just to see what else could possibly happen. I enjoyed the music score through out the entire film, the scenery and the story line. Taking in consideration that this film had NO budget,the special effects were done better than expected. I would like to see what the director could have done with a REAL budget. I do not like indie movies for the most part but I enjoyed this one. I do believe that the director would be able to do GREAT things with the right backing. Keep up the good work. I look forward to your NEXT film.

WATCHING THIS IN 2022

[alexgzbro · 10/10 · 6 May 2022]

This movie honestly gave me the chills . The way this was shot and filmed made it feel like it was not low budget and made decent amateurs at acting look like they been doing it for a while. Few fun little hidden eggs in this one if you watch it 2 times, I'm glad I watched this after doing some research on the latest science currently in 2022 , if this movie came out today it wouldn't be considered SciFi because a lot of the evidence today points out to be true now . This movie was way ahead of it's time when it released back in 05. I could watch it again if I am honest.