The Burned Over District

"The Burned Over District" is a truly terrifying folk horror story about a Puritan cult that worships an ancient evil in the backwoods of Upstate New York.

The creators of the film, brothers James and Vince Coleman, are very similar in style and fiendishness to the Philippou Brothers ("Talk To Me"). The Coleman Bros. Cinematography echoes A24 classics like "Hereditary" but with their own spin.

The practical effects in this movie are perfect and there are some really strong performances (particularly from Amy Zubieta, Jon Sheedy and Michael Ciesla). The OST by Mike Chibante is amazing.

The movie has the feel of "Pet Sematary" and it plays on some historic events that led to the area being dubbed "The Burned Over District," as religious fanaticism caught on like wildfire in the 1800's. The film was shot entirely in the actual historic Burned Over District which leads to the authenticity of the storytelling.

This movie is unique and stands out among all of the cookie cutter Blumhouse ripoffs that oversaturate the current VOD market. If you're looking for a genuinely fun and scary movie, tune into "The Burned Over District." You can thank me later!

After the death of his wife, a grieving man trying to pick up the pieces of the situation moves in with his sister in a small town in the woods to get over it, but when they run afoul of a demonic cult looking to make them a sacrifice to a dark entity, they have to band together to save each other.

This was an impressive genre outing. One of the finer aspects of this one is the solid storyline that, while employing some overly familiar tropes and topics, feels intriguing enough as a proper slow-burn genre feature. The early setup here, mainly revolving around the setup of the accident that sends him into his depression and the need to get away into the remote community with his friends to try to heal only to suddenly find himself face to face with the cult and their operations in the area, this comes about rather nicely. The idea of his grief clouding his judgment about how they operate and target their victims as there's just enough about how they go about selecting their next victims with their spiritual signs and system telling them who's going to be involved provides the kind of solid setup here with them operating in the background of everything and given just enough to know what they're about and capable of without revealing too much about their history. By the time this slowly starts to make the cult more of a factor and influence over what's going on, there's enough of an eerie atmosphere involving them that their presence starts to impact the film quite nicely. The initial setup of their involvement in the community and trying to carry out their rituals while others are turning a blind eye to everything goes alongside the other fine scenes where the ethereal voices or visions tormenting him and his sister carry out quite well as it leads into the thrilling second half. After showing how vicious and ruthless they are overtaking the house and abducting them after the ceremony is witnessed. Featuring enough gruesome action not just for what their rituals entail but also the series of revenge-based confrontations with the cult at the end which is incredibly brutal and graphic involving the practical effects for the series of encounters employed. These here are what give this one quite a lot to like although there are some issues here to bring this one down. The main drawback here is a rather slow-burn pace in the first half which tends to bring about a stuttering tempo during this section. As this focuses on the build-up of his grieving state and the inability of those around him to pull him out of this situation, there's a decided low-key energy here as we're dealing yet again with a cliched grief-centered storyline that comes off as yet another in this line of storyline but also tends to deal without the antics of the cult who are completely unknown and mysterious in a way that makes their purpose a total blank since we don't get the chance to be around them. Although they're involved in the periphery of everything, we don't even get so much as a name or idea of what they worship so it's a bit of a blank as for what's going on. This carries over into the bizarre finale where it's somewhat hard to tell what's going on as the lack of context or explanations means it spends a lot of these scenes relying on interpreting what's happening without much else going on to explain it. These features here are what brings this one down overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

Right, while I had never heard about the 2022 horror movie "The Burned Over District", I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch it, as I stumbled upon the movie by random chance here in 2025. It being a horror movie was more than sufficient for me to check it out, as I am big horror fan, after all.

The storyline in the movie, as written by James Coleman and Vincent Coleman, proved a bit of a swing and a miss. The narrative was somewhat slow paced and there wasn't a whole lot of interesting things taking place throughout the course of the 103 minutes that the movie ran for.

I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, though I will say that the acting performances were indeed fair enough, despite of the fact that the script was rubbish.

Visually then you're not in for anything grand. Sure, the special effects were adequate for a movie such as this, but don't get your hopes up.

Would I recommend you to spend 103 minutes on watching "The Burned Over District"? No. Will I ever return to watch it a second time? No.

My rating of directors James Coleman and Vincent Coleman's 2022 movie "The Burned Over District" lands on a three out of ten stars.

Wow, I have to say I'm impressed! The Coleman Brothers are extremely talented! I enjoyed the thrill of this movie, it really kept you on your toes. The detail in the storyline was really invigorating. The trailer is originally what had gotten me hooked. It certainly kept you on your toes and wanting to know more so you have to watch the movie. I enjoyed this very very much. It's difficult to give any review with out giving it away- I would absolutely recommend watching this movie more than one time. Definitely a great film. Great job! I can not wait to see what more The Coleman brothers have in store!

The Burned Over District offers a compelling mix of horror, suspense, love, and gore, making for a gripping viewing experience. Throughout the film, a tangible sense of unease keeps audiences on the edge of their seats, while Mike Chibante's exceptional score further enhances the atmosphere. Vince and James Coleman have crafted a weighty narrative that begins explosively and gradually unfolds into unexpected territory. Their work on this film showcases their talent and creativity, offering a refreshing departure from conventional storytelling. As a viewer, I found it exhilarating to watch something different and look forward to seeing more from the Coleman Brothers in the future. Overall, I would rate The Burned Over District a perfect 10/10 for its outstanding execution and immersive storytelling.