Anything for Jackson

Considering the low quality of a lot of horror output recently I wasn't expecting much from this movie. But what a surprise.

The story is well written and tight, nicely paced, and with plenty of intrigue so you never really know where it is going.

The characters are superbly portrayed by the entire cast.

If you want to see a good horror movie that doesn't involve teens screaming in some remote location - this is a movie to watch.

This slow-burning horror, following a kind but determined satanist couple and their self-defeating desire to bring back their deceased grandson, is the kind of film that begs a second viewing. I didn't appreciate it the first time I saw it, but the second time around, the strong acting skills, special effects and underlying tragedy of the story won me over. Anything For Jackson somehow evokes an outpour of empathy for this couple of kidnappers, as it becomes more apparent the gravity of the losses they faced, and the lengths they went to in order to overcome them. Fans of Supernatural, Roxy Hunter and Hard Core Logo will instantly recognize Julian Richings as Henry, and Sheila McCarthy works very well with him in the role of satanist grandmother Audrey. Up-and-coming actor Josh Cruddas is memorable as the narcissistic satanist bum, Ian, a childish but obsessively devoted helper to the protagonists, and Yannick Bisson and Lanette Ware compliment every scene they're in. As a dark comedy and occult horror, Anything For Jackson works strangely well. While not perfect, and at times campy, it's a well-made and quite unforgettable story worth checking out.

It's been 2 days since I watched Anything for Jackson and I still cant get it out of my head... It's really good movie. Ill try to explain in few lines why I consider it to be a good movie.

1) Its different - In so much copy-paste ideas and remakes, i finally had the opportunity to watch something original, something different. Anything for Jackson suprised me couple of times during the movie and I really liked that. This movie was not predictable and its soo good!

2) Its low budget movie - I'm really starting to enjoy low budget movies more than high budget movies and that is actually not so good because it means that high budget movies lacks of original story and new ideas. Low budget movies today are more focused on depth of story and that is, for me, most important part of movie. In Anything for Jackson you will maybe see some cheap effects in some scenes but they are created with soul and that gives them something that most of high budget movies dont have today. I really enjoyed every scene of this movie.

3) Good acting and music - Acting is, besides story line, probably most important part of the movie and in this movie acting is great! I really liked main characters and by my opinion side characters were pretty good too. For me music is very important part of every movie and I really enjoyed in music and sound affects in Anything for Jackson so it's one more plus for this movie.

If you are horror movie fan and you are interested in cult stories than you definitely should check this movie, I believe you'll enjoy it!

The horror gendre has been one of my favorites for my entire life, yet the production of good movies in said gendre has been lacking, to put it mildly, in recent memory.

The horror movies that are effective, for myself at least, are those which don't rely on jump scares and actually endeavour to creep you out, thereby instilling a lasting emotion when thinking about the film.

Anything for Jackson, although not outstanding per se, does a fairly decent job of being creepy.

The acting is fairly good, and though I admit I do have a soft spot for Julian Richings who plays Dr. Henry Walsh, the entire cast does a competent job. The writing was up to snuff as well, taking a very basic premise and fleshing it out, and the make up and effects department did a great job.

I would recommend Anything for Jackson for a decent 90 minute watch.

'Anything For Jackson (2020)' follows a bereaved couple who kidnap a heavily pregnant woman in order to perform a 'reverse exorcism' and put the spirit of their dead grandson into the body of her unborn child. It's a killer premise and the set-up is handled impeccably. That's primarily because the two perpetrators of this heinous act are actually the picture's protagonists. They're Satanists who are willing to make a selfish deal with the devil no matter the cost, but they aren't portrayed as callous and cackling villains. They're presented as quite the opposite, actually; they seem like your average, neighbourly old couple. Their understandable motivations help to keep you engaged with the plot, especially since their actions are always what drive it, and their relatively agreeable nature makes the movie much more distinct than it otherwise may have been. The kidnapped woman isn't given quite as much attention as her captors, but she is developed just enough that you come to truly care for her by the flick's end. No matter how sympathetically the central couple are presented, you're always on the pregnant lady's side because of the inherently unjust nature of her treatment; just because someone's nice doesn't mean they aren't doing a bad thing. The picture is well made throughout, with crisp cinematography, believable performances and some really effective scare sequences. Though the middle act is slightly more generic than the first, it's here that the movie's frights really come into the fray. There's some horrific stuff here and it's all really well done. It isn't terrifying, but it's unsettling enough. One of the more major complaints I have is that the ending feels, ever so slightly, like a let-down. It isn't bad, of course, but it kind of feels like the filmmakers weren't sure how to bring their creation to a close and so decided to throw everything at the wall in a 'haunted house' sort of way. Still, like I said, it isn't bad. It features unique visuals and is, for the most part, genuinely unpredictable. Overall, the film is a really good entry into its genre. It does some often seen things in a rarely seen way, which makes it all the easier to recommend. If you're a fan of horror, you should give this a go. 7/10.