Séance Games: Metaxu

I love horror movies. Willing to give a lot of movies beyond a chance and have watched quite the "bad" horror movie every now and then and I've just gone my way. Thought that wasn't my cup of tea, but I get why others would like it.

This one though... wow. I made a point to finish the movie to see if it had any redeeming qualities... it really didn't. Don't want to give spoilers and want to give people their own chance to view, but felt the need to review so it drops way lower than the 5.9/10 I saw the ratings at (and helped confirm it would at least be somewhat worthwhile to watch). It wasn't.

So, listen. I don't leave a lot of reviews, mainly because good movies are good and bad movies are bad and everyone knows which are which. That said....

This movie started out with a great premise and the first 1/2 of the movies was well done plot-wise. The acting was a bit low quality but it was good enough to keep me watching (which is no small feat these days). I thought maybe 'd figure out who killed the sister, but boy was I wrong.

The second half of this movie was not just a train wreck, but also a plane crash, boat sinking and a satellite falling out of space. The plot went off the rails and not only was i wrong the real answer was obvious, but you had to find that out thru the worst plot twist in the history of plot twists. I should have know when i saw Eric Roberts was in the cast.

I mean, if you want to watch this, so be it. But you're better off going for a drive to a small town in the middle of nowhere to see if children have taken it over.

This was an enjoyable watch with some tense scenes and funny moments. The actors did a great job and there was a real chemistry between the cast. I think they found some real up and coming talent and it will be cool to see what they all do next. I also thought it looked good for a low budget movie with some cool locations and impressive practical effects. Some parts were intentionally a little bit goofy whereas others were more emotional and impactful. I don't watch a lot of horror movies and I didn't find it overly scary, so as long as you're remotely interested in horror I think you will be fine to watch it.

You know how it is, scrolling through Amazon Prime, looking for something to watch and most times you're really playing movie roulette. Will it be good, or meh? I saw SEANCE GAMES listed, a new horror movie starring Eric Roberts, and I thought, why not? Very glad I took the chance. A lot of these movies tend to be very claustrophobic, which is a reflection of budgetary constraints. This movie opens with great scope, and becomes a very refreshing take on the haunted house story, upgrading it with Internet and social media elements. Very interesting take and well acted by some young newcomers and of course, Eric Roberts brings class and sophistication to his role. A great feature film directorial debut from Tane' McClure, and I look forward to seeing future projects from her and the rest of the cast!

Participating in a viral challenge, a group of influencers arrive at a remote house in the middle of nowhere to undergo a special livestream challenge performing a specific seance, but when they release the spirit of a figure trapped inside must try to get out of the house alive.

This was a decent enough if somewhat flawed genre effort. Among the better features here is the impressive setup that plays quite nicely into modern influencer culture with how they get into the game and how it takes place. The arrival at the house and meeting up with the secondary group that's also attempting the same thing offers the kind of worthwhile starting point that's based quite nicely on how typical youth in this style start behaving. With a rather creepy, mold-covered house that has the traditional unused-for-years look and aesthetic that tends to play perfectly for the type of challenge being attempted here, it serves the film perfectly with the actual seance that takes place here as this sets the final half on a wild path once the group starts to succumb to the ghostly figures in the house. That's where the film works the best as the paranoia on display and wild revelations that come about during a series of brutal-by-comparison sequences give the film some positives. There are some big issues present that bring this one down overall. The biggest drawback with the film is the utterly uninteresting group of characters we're forced to follow as the typical means of modern youth and their actions are brought to full force here. The usual assortment of antics here involving the group being completely inconsiderate and only thinking of their followers despite what would be scenarios that demand more attention to their surroundings or sympathy for others is on display throughout here as the group spends the majority of the first half going through their follower numbers than anything more endearing which makes the group difficult to deal with. As well, once the film does finally get going and the bodies start dropping it's done without much in the way of thrilling sequences or intense confrontations so it's really hard to care at this point in the film where it's getting going. It's the main thing holding this one down among its other factors.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and a clothed sex scene.