Satanic (2016)

Four friends on their way to Coachella stop off in Los Angeles to tour true-crime occult sites, only to encounter a mysterious young runaway who puts them on a terrifying path to ultimate horror.

Director:

Jeffrey G. Hunt (as Jeffrey Hunt)

Writer:

Anthony Jaswinski

Stars:

Sarah Hyland, Steven Krueger, Justin Chon

Cast

Cast overview:
Sarah Hyland	...	Chloe
Steven Krueger	...	David
Justin Chon	...	Seth
Clara Mamet	...	Elise
Sophie Dalah	...	Alice
Anthony Carrigan	...	Anthony
Marc Barnes	...	James the Hotel Clerk
Stevin Knight	...	Satanist

Storyline

Four friends on their way to Coachella stop off in Los Angeles to tour true-crime occult sites, only to encounter a mysterious young runaway who puts them on a terrifying path to ultimate horror.

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Plot Keywords:

satanism | one word title | los angeles california | occult | voyeurism | 

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Taglines:

They unleashed the ultimate evil

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bloody horror violence, language throughout, brief nudity and some drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in fifteen days.

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Goofs

When the group leaves Pasadena intending to return home to Boulder, Colorado, they pull over so Elise can throw up and find themselves in South Los Angeles, as Chloe tells the 911 operator. Yet the drive from Pasadena (just north of L.A.) to Boulder would take them due East, nowhere near South L.A.

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Soundtracks

Obey And Conform
Written by Mike Conte, ASCAP
Performed by Early Man

User Reviews

Un-Satanic horror

'Satanic' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing and quite creative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.

It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws are here present in those films, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'Satanic' is very weak, with a plethora of problems (fairly big ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are however a couple of decent, even good, qualities in 'Sanatic'.

Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky and is not too schlocky, some decent shots here.

Best thing about 'Satanic' is the opening, which was attention grabbing and kept me hooked. Which is why it is such a shame that 'Satanic' went downhill so drastically.

Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their irritating and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.

Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the histrionic and ridiculously annoying acting.

Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace goes to a standstill after the promising opening and drags on forever, never recovering. The second half is interminable. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense.

A lot of 'Satanic' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical, irritating and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending makes the film finish on an incomplete and confused whimper.

There is not enough threat here and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, while the psychological elements are unimaginative and are more odd than scary, completely failing to show the horror of the subject. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is pretty leaden, got the sense their heart was not in it, and the music doesn't really fit.

Concluding, very weak. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 July 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Satanic

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$205, 3 July 2016

Gross USA:

$252

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$349,183

Company Credits

Production Co:

Magnet Releasing, MarVista Entertainment, Circle of Confusion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1