Inhabitants

Inhabitants is a low budget and extremely poorly researched attempt at a religious horror film. I thought it might be funny, there was something about certain scenes in the film that made me think I might be watching a satirical horror comedy but no!

It just came across as a non-religious person or maybe a random Evangelical trying to write a movie about Catholics and New Age people.

What makes it so terrible is that it sucks you in for a while if you're willing to meet it halfway. I would have liked to stop watching it much sooner, if only I suspected just how crappy it would be.

Inhabitants is about a young couple, eager to make their lives their own, who moves to California. The guy seems wary of his girlfriend's crystals and obviously has some Catholic baggage, which he denies.

Then, of course, his past starts to haunt him (literally). Creepy youth minister pops up and starts trying to tear them apart, it's clear something happened to the guy that left a mark on him. Then he calls in no other than his religious MOTHER. Hilarious. I laughed at her coming in to Ave Maria. The dreaded mama's boy can't seem to shake his upbringing.

Also, love Kevin Nealon in this.

Sure, it's a bit slow -- but it's funny. It's more of a horror comedy, I suppose. I feel like this was made for lapsed Catholics who decided to "live in sin", as it were, like myself. IYKYK. Some nightmare related scares and good acting.

Inhabitants depicts a young couple that are menanced by the spirit of a mentor from the male's past. This involves heavy Christian religious beliefs from the spirit. And the film positions this against the Wiccan beliefs of the female.

Production on the film is decent, looking like they used their money wisely and well. Acting is quality too, if a bit subdued. Plotting and storyline seems to be where the film has a major problem. There just isn't much excitement, thrills, or scares to the film. The conflict remains simple and tight to the tropes of conservative religious doctrine. And this basic perspective makes the film feel like it limps along a story we've seen many times before. Not a horrible film, but it's just not exciting.

Well, that was really a rather lackluster little movie and a disappointment for me.

The acting was fine with Anna Jacoby-Heron, the underutilized Kevin Nealon and Ann Auther proving exceptionally qualified as expected. Josh Rivers was a step below but acquitted himself well.

I did feel the writing was the weak link though, with the story really feeling like an idea that wasn't fully fleshed out. In this case the writer, Matt McClung, also directed, and frankly that seldom turns out well in my 50 years of movie viewing. At least he didn't try to act as well!

It wasn't much of a horror movie, more a relationship drama with some religious and very light supernatural elements.

The whole enterprise had the feel of a "Christian film" in that it had the vibe of one of those little movies that end up being shown to church groups. Kinda' lower budgeted affairs with maybe a name or two from years past who now find work with little, fly-by-night, Christian production companies. I don't believe that's the case here... but it feels like it is.

Overall, 4/10 is my score and I suspect this'll ultimately end up somewhere in the upper 3s when all is said and done.