From Within (2008)

A small Maryland town is gripped by a curse which causes residents to take their own life one after another.

Director:

Phedon Papamichael

Writer:

Brad Keene

Stars:

Elizabeth Rice, Thomas Dekker, Kelly Blatz

6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Rice	...	Lindsay
Thomas Dekker	...	Aidan
Kelly Blatz	...	Dylan
Laura Allen	...	Trish
Adam Goldberg	...	Roy
Margo Harshman	...	Sadie
Rumer Willis	...	Natalie
Britt Robertson	...	Claire (as Brittany Robertson)
Steven Culp	...	Pastor Joe
Jared Harris	...	Bernard
Amanda Babin	...	Molly
Michelle Babin	...	Evil Molly
Candace Hammer	...	Mary (as Candace Scholz)
David Ariniello	...	Paul
Jamie Linck O'Brien	...	Kelly (as Jamie O'Brien)

Storyline

In a small Maryland town, the suicide of an outcast teenager triggers a string of violent suicides. These suicides seem to stem from a curse which spreads when any person, who witnesses the suicide, is possessed by an evil force that appears as the person's doppelganger that only they can see. A young teenager, named Lindsey, thinks there is a connection of the events to Aidan, the outcast brother of the first suicide case. But Lindsay must race against the clock when she witnesses her mother fall victim, and must try to find a way to stop the curse before it kills her too. Meanwhile the God-fearing townspeople, led by a fanatic preacher with a connection to the events also, form a vigilante group to take the law in their own hands.

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Plot Keywords:

suicide | curse | preacher | whispering | suicide by poison | 

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Taglines:

Death is catching.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, disturbing images and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 2009 (Philippines)

Also Known As:

A gyilkos bennünk

Filming Locations:

Havre de Grace, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$228,014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Burgundy Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At 34:10 the teacher makes a reference to Joseph Conrad's book, "Heart of Darkness".

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Goofs

when Aidan is rubbing oil on Lindsay's shoulder, you can see stripes of oil on her forehead. However it isn't until the next shot that Aidan actually rubs the oil on her forehead.

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Quotes

Lindsay: Why'd you and your brother come back?
Aidan: This is the house we grew up in. It's our home.
[Lindsay starts look at pictures]
Aidan: That's her.
Lindsay: She's beautiful.
Aidan: You remind me of her.
Lindsay: Really?
Aidan: I don't mean looks. It's how you carry yourself. How you treat people.
Lindsay: Is that you and your brother?
Aidan: [Aiden points to himself in a picture] That's me.

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Crazy Credits

As the end credits start to roll the fate of the survivors is revealed

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Soundtracks

This Voice
Performed by Ane Brun
Courtesy of Determine Records AB
Written by Ane Brun & Katharina Nuttall
Courtesy of Sony/ATV Tunes LLC (ASCAP)
By Arrangement with Ane Brun Publishing / Sony / ATV Music Publishing Scandinavia

User Reviews

Not really scary...

Alright, well I didn't really think this movie would fit into the "After Dark Horrorfest" genre, but apparently it did.

This movie was interesting, and yet it was sort of dull. Confused? Well I will try to lay it on the line. The interesting part was the who religious fanaticism going on through the movie, that they showed just how crazed some people can become and to what extends some people are willing to go. That is what I found interesting in the movie.

And the dull part? Well, basically the entire movie was just one long smear about nothing much in particular. There was very little happening throughout the movie. And what did happen wasn't scary at all, it was just a bit out there. And that was a major disappointment to this movie.

Now, I am not saying that this is a crappy movie, it does have its moments and there is a constant sense of dread laying just beneath the surface, but this dread never gets a real chance to shine through.

The movie is psychological, and that works very well in its favor, and the scenes that do draw on the supernatural, does work nicely as well. The whole part about being killed by yourself, and no one else but you can see what is going on, is kind of freaky, and that was the good part about the movie.

"From Within" took a sweet long time to tell very little, and that made the movie drag on forever and ever. There wasn't enough sparks and magic to make this movie all that interesting. Sure, the movie had potential and they were on to something with the story, plots and the twists in the movie, but it just didn't catch the bigger picture.

The cast in "From Within" was good, and I think they all portrayed their characters very well and in believable manners. So there is nothing to complain about here. The leading roles were portrayed well, and the supporting roles were the same.

The effects were good throughout the movie. They didn't revel in one grand CGI eye-fest after another, but rather made use of subtle effects and scary environments and small details. That is one of the cooler things in movie-making.

The ending was nice, although not a surprise ending. But it worked well enough.

I am rating this movie a 4, because of the story took forever to get you almost nowhere. But still, there were elements that managed to keep my interest throughout the movie. Now, if you are looking for a movie to scare the crap out of you, this is not the movie to pick. However, if you want a psychological movie with some underlying supernatural elements, this might be right up your alley. But be prepared for a very long storytelling...