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:

If you believe in the light, you've got to believe in the dark

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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

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

Sadie: [Sadie is being dragged out by two men] Your worthless God can kiss my ass.

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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

Polonaise in C Minor Op.40 No. 2
Written by Frédéric Chopin
Music created and produced by Uniquetracks

User Reviews

Soldiers of the Lord

In Grovetown, there is a series of suicides after the suicide of an outcast teenager Sean (Shiloh Fernandez). His brother Aidan (Thomas Dekker) waits for the return of his cousin Sadie (Margo Harshman) to the family house for the funeral. When Dylan (Kelly Blatz), who is the fanatic Christian son of the reverend, beats up on Aidan, the undesirable youngster is helped by Dylan's girlfriend Lindsey (Elizabeth Rice) that drives him home. They talk about Dylan's mother Candace Spindle that had a grimoire to worship her pagan gods in a creek and was blamed by the god-fearing locals of murdering a man; then she died in a suspicious fire. Lindsey and Aidan befriend each other and sooner she finds that Sean has cursed the town with his own sacrifice unleashing an evil force that is leading the inhabitants to commit suicide. When Lindsey is chased by her evil image, Aidan decides to help her to stop the curse; but the price to be paid is high.

Last week I bought "From Within" on DVD without any reference, and I had low expectations with this movie. Fortunately I was wrong and I was surprised with this great horror movie. In this original story, the Christians are evil with their fanaticism, self-proclaiming "soldiers of the Lord" and capable of dreadful murders in the name of God. Further, the conclusion with no redemption is unusual in American movies that prefer commercial endings instead. The sweet and gorgeous Elizabeth Rice has an amazing performance and shows a perfect chemistry with Thomas Dekker. The unknown director Phedon Papamichael shows a promising debut, supported by a good screenplay and a cast with great potential. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 2009 (Philippines)

Also Known As:

From Within

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:

2.39 : 1