Proxy

I can't decide if the actor who plays Anika was terrible because of how poorly the character was written or if she is just a terrible actor. In either case, she turned what could have been a respectable, decent film into a lame Indy ruined by one bad performance.

Opening with a shocking sequence, treading an interesting path during the first act, taking an unexpected turn in the middle, dragging from that point onwards and finally drowning in its own mess by the time it nears its conclusion, Proxy may seem like a violent, unflinching, gore-filled horror but in actuality is a dull & bloated psychological horror filled with wooden characters.

The story of Proxy follows two women. First is Esther, a pregnant young lady who loses her child after being brutally attacked by an unidentified person while on her way home. Her road to recovery begins when she joins a support group where she meets & befriends Melanie, who claims that her husband & child died in a road accident. Things head for worse when Esther discovers Melanie's secret.

Co-written, co-produced & directed by Zach Parker, Proxy opens on such a promising note that watching it fall flat after a while was all the more frustrating. The downslide starts when the director decides to shift the focus from one character to another and once that happens, everything after it feels absurd & mundane. Parker also fails to provide a gripping plot or a set of characters worth caring for, and it runs way too long.

There isn't much to talk about its technical aspects for it didn't improve the experience by any means. There are a numerous poor decisions made here as far as camera-work, editing or background score goes. A pivotal scene is turned into an off-putting moment by its slow- mo photography that overstays its welcome & looks unintentionally funny. Editing is virtually absent in the second half. And the background score fails to blend with the narrative.

On an overall scale, Proxy is a highly mediocre horror film that falls utterly short of whatever it was aspiring to be, features weak plotting & questionable character motives, and doesn't even revel in extremity for the R-rated elements are heavily toned down after the gruesome opening act. Neither the cast nor their input stand out here although the actress who plays Esther Woodhouse was slowly getting the hang of her character and I'd have loved to see more of that instead of what Proxy had in store for me. An absolute waste of time!

Some scenes are really well-crafted (the extreme slow motion scenes in particular are gorgeous) so there is definitely some talent behind the camera.

But, and that's a big but, the pace is at a snails speed at times and you really get the itchy trigger finger for the fast-forward remote button a lot.

I think had it been edited down to 90 minutes it could have been a fairly effective movie over all but as it is you really need to have a lot of patience with it, it's 2 hours long but it feels even longer.

And the second hour of the movie doesn't quite come together as well as I'm sure they intended, which is a shame because it does have a pretty cool plot which reminded me a bit of French horrors more so than American.

So yeah overall a strong 4 or a weak 5 from me.

If you're looking for a movie that gives you that feeling like you're not sure what you have been apart of, then take a moment to view here. As you sit alone in the dark talking aloud to the TV, you'll be asking yourself questions like: It's a horror? Oh, is it mystery? Maybe it's a psycho killer type thing? Or is it just weird? The ending, It couldn't of ended any other way! I liked it.

The main character really pulled me into the story. She is alone and pregnant, we don't know why. An introvert loner who's sadness seems obvious for all to see. When the first shocking seen hits you, it hits you twice as hard as you know this will send her down some weird pit of crazy despair that only someone on the edge can feel.

Then as the next few scenes of the movie unfold, you can sense that something else is happening and That's when I sat up as I wasn't sure what is happening or what will happen next. As you know, there are way too many movies where you know what happens next!

You have to like unconventional movies or you won't enjoy this strange little trip into weirdness.

A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."Proxy" (NR - 2013 - US)

Sub-Genre: Psycho/Disturb My Score: 6.3

Cast=4 Acting=8 Plot=5 Ending=6 Story=8 Scare=3 Jump=4 F/X=7 Psycho=9 Twist=9

The life of three parents who have all shared the loss of a child. Motives are not what they seem and sanity is in short supply in this thriller.

This movie will make me think twice about joining a support group! What starts with one horrific incident turns into many other horrific incidents. It was like a game of "Psycho Wars"; where only the most deranged may live on for a book signing and a TV movie. This is not scary, but disturbing as hell! This is one to have you shaking your head afterward. Is it weird that I no longer think therapy is a good idea? I didn't think so either.