The Taking

I like the way the movie started. I liked the premise and the "horror" movie take on something as real as someone slowly suffering from Alzheimer's.

But they lost me once all the supernatural stuff started.

And I could have tolerated the supernatural stuff if that's the way they wanted to go with this, but I couldn't because of that stupid shaky cam and that girl doing the documentary (I forgot her name, May?) screaming all the time.

Sucks because I started watching this with very high expectations (since I heard it was a pretty good movie) but it didn't deliver. And that sucks, because based on the first 20-30 minutes, it had potential.

You deal here with the new kind of cinema as you can find nearly everywhere around the world. And, believe it or not, it works. It makes creeps out of you, don't watch it alone at night...The usual horror story which will always work. But besides, you deal here with astounding Oscar winning worth performances. And this astounding little feature also focuses on the terrible aspects of the Alzheimer disease, especially the pictures shown in the first part of the movie. It is fiction, yes, but not only. It is very scary but also not destined to all audiences. a sort of mix up between THE EXORCIST - old influences, very vintage - and the new wave with the likes of BLAIRWITCH PROJECT or REC or PARANORMAL ACTIVITY...

Don't miss it

Let me get one thing out first: this was not a great movie. It could be a good movie, but right now I'm such in shock that I don't know how I feel. I don't understand the reviews saying this movie is boring or slow. I felt like it had a very nice pace that kept the story rolling and my interest high.

What I will say is that the biggest detriment to this movie is that it was willing to have its characters make stupid choices in order for the creepy, intense scenes to happen. People often don't turn on lights when they are readily available (or should be, maybe there were unspoken reasons why the lights weren't working?). When Deborah becomes violent and injures people, she is not kept under lock and key until they can figure out how to treat her, rather she is allowed to go home time and again so she can do the same things. And of course, people go into places alone when they shouldn't, and don't call for back up when they should.

That being said, I have to hand it to the filmmakers for creating some of the most intense and effective scaring that I've seen in years. Not even just the finale (I'll get to that later) but intermittently. Not everything works, and not every scare is fresh or original, but quite a few of them hit the mark and had me at the edge of my seat.

And finally the ending. I had read in other reviews that this was quite the doozy, and I have to admit I was in no way, shape, or form prepared. I don't want to over-hype it (although I can't imagine how), but that was something I could not have seen coming, and for the first time in my horror-loving life, I actually had to look away from the screen. The image is still burned in my mind.

I can say that the ending almost made the whole thing worth it, but just for setting up the scary bits I can't rationalize all the stupidity the characters show. As a whole, I don't regret watching "Taking" but it definitely had its flaws.

That ending though...

THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN is a "found footage" film. As in most such movies, there are plenty of scenes of people running around in dark places, screaming. Yes, we might wonder why someone is always carrying a camera around, and has the presence of mind to use it, no matter what sort of crazy $h!t is happening around them!

And yet...

This particular movie is very effective. The main reason is Deborah Logan (Jill Larson) herself. She's an woman who is apparently suffering through Alzheimer's disease. College student, Mia Medina (Michelle Ang), is inspired to document Deborah's every move, bringing in the expected film crew.

Mia and company record far more than they ever expected.

Again, the power of this movie resides solely in Ms. Larson's performance. She takes her character into depths of self-degradation that few actors, of any age, would dare to go. The nearest reference point would be Ellen Burstyn's tour de force of humiliation in REQUIEM FOR A DREAM.

In addition to Ms. Larson, this movie also has that rarest of commodities known as an original story. The possibility of a supernatural aspect is both intriguing and, ultimately terrifying. Ms. Larson pulls this off without a hint of irony or absurdity.

For those looking for quality in an otherwise tired sub-genre...

We've had just so many found-footage horrors every year, it's just too much. But not all of them are not worth it. This isn't great or anything, but i was able to achieve some nice scares and develops its central mystery and the development of the characters works. It reminds me a lot of The Last Exorcism (although that was still a lot better). The acting here is pretty strong, and the atmosphere builds well. I'm sure many will love the explosive climax and finale, and although there aren't too many inconsistencies in the story, there are still flaws here and there. But while it doesn't achieve so much greatness, definitely recommended.