JackClayton95

I'm all for "found footage" horrors - Cloverfield and the Paranormal series being a few that did it to a standard that at least held merit in the horror genre for many. This, though, is a shoe string budget, amateur YouTube (at best) level production - heap of steaming garbage.

Upon viewing I'm too mentally fatigued to even begin to pull apart this movie in any meaningful way. Please do not waste your time watching this, unless you like poorly written plots, awful dialogue and a significant level of continuous on screen screaming. How they roped Eric Roberts to be in this film I simply cannot fathom. There's hope for us all in the world of film production, this is very much the pudding and the proof.

Let me start by saying I enjoyed this film in spite of its flaws - this creepy Irish folklore chiller is less horror and more dark fantasy. Perhaps a new foray into traditional supernatural fables for Shyamalan, there is plenty to like.

Whether it be the never-ending eerie, atmospheric and mysteriously haunting forrest the protagonists find themselves entombed within, or the intriguing plot that develops into a group of strangers finding sanctity from the initially veiled creatures that hunt them at night in a glass fronted building - we discover that this is by design, these creatures observe our protagonists through this glass for reasons initially unknown. Unsettling in the extreme.

But, unsettling is as far is it gets in terms of horror - I constantly felt intrigued but never scared, which is by no means criticism - it held my interest throughout but never grew into a shock and awe terror spree that it sometimes threatened.

The imagery is strong, acting performances excellent, and the music blends well in adding to the tension - but i couldn't help but feel the music should have been more in keeping with the stories Irish heritage. There's so much fabulous eerie Irish music out there, yet not one melody made the cut.

I love Shyamalan's work, good and bad, but the final act is where this fell on its face for me. With large shifts in the storyline, twists that didn't quite hit the mark and resolutions that I feel were not warranted, it left me wanting a little bit less story and a little bit more freight.

If you're on the fence, I would recommend watching this - it reminds me of birdbox in the vulnerability of the characters in their setting, with a sprinkle of slenderman trying to catch them. Though these creatures aren't really trying to catch them, they're already caught - our protagonists are their pets...

I am absolutely all for new takes on well trodden paths, but this really has taken the biscuit.

Where to begin, I ponder, be it the hilarious inaccuracies in dialogue and vocabulary of the characters? The disorderly storyline pace? The random plot points thrown in with no forewarning or indeed foreshadowing that masquerade as plot twists? The extraordinarily questionable acting? I'm considering this as proof there may be hope for us all in the film producing industry.

Listed as a horror, I can confirm I have seen Disney films with more fright. Hints of science fiction, a consideration that would more than blow the mind of any 16th century individual, makes a bizzare cross genre entry. Curious then, that the films characters take it in their stride.

This is a film born of its' makers stream of consciousness strewn throughout its entire creation without coherent thought or consideration. What makes matters worse is that it really is trying to break some ground with a new take on 16th century witches - yet it views akin to that of a parody. This would be fine if it didn't take itself so seriously, or if it were a parody, but it doesn't and it isn't; I can think of no worse condemnation than that.

Please value your time enough to give this a wide berth. I struggle to see how anybody could consider this time well spent in viewing, unless you really want a laugh - in which case this is for you, fill your boots.