Spirit of Fear

Half a hour into this micro budget, film school nonsense and that was enough for me. I have better things to do with my time.

So why did I give a two out of ten? Because at least they had a go and got a movie made, that's why. It might not be for me but someone might like it.

For the record, the bits of the movie that I did see had a man wake up in a house covered in blood but seemingly with no idea how any of this happened. He wanders round the house in silence and tries to piece together how he arrived at this situation.

The post it notes bit has been lifted from 'Momento'. A much better movie than this.

As Mr Merenghi him self would say, it's more of a slight chill. If you like horror movies that are more on the creepy atmospheric side rather, you will probably enjoy this. To be honest, it's greatest sin is that it's not a computer game. I spent a lot of time thinking I would have enjoyed playing this.

The acting is good, for someone who must try his best to look confused and terrified for over an hour straight, and the plot twist is fairly predictable, but still a lot of fun.

In short, we gain a fun, atmospheric movie that entertains, and lose what would be the next critically acclaimed, forever cult horror game of a generation. I mourn our loss.

Still fun though.

The movie was a little slow and the ending was anticlimactic. Although a refreshing take on an otherwise overused horror trope. You kind of want to smack the protagonist with some of the things he does throughout the film.

Walking around your house in your socks instead of having shoes on, while in real life is normal, makes you somewhat uncomfortable in a horror movie. Out of my 2 ratings of watchable and unwatchable, this movie falls squarely in the watchable category. It wasn't the scariest movie, it also wasn't the worst. I couldn't sit through it twice, but I was happy I watched it the first time.

The film is praised for its minimalist approach, relying on atmosphere, sound design, and Christopher Lee Page's performance to build tension. It avoids a lot of dialogue, instead using the protagonist's physical expressions to convey fear and confusion. "Spirit of Fear" has been noted for its ability to create a sense of unease and a claustrophobic feel within the single-house setting.

This film is slow moving, yet atmospheric.

Extremely minimalist.

Being almost completely void of dialogue.

Mysterious.

Though, not in a particularly engaging way.

Somewhat psychological.

A bit supernatural.

And even a touch satanic.

But, mostly, it's just a guy wandering his house with a knife, trying to solve a mystery.

Amidst vague warnings, he may or may not have left himself on post-it notes.

What's clear...is that he had a wife and daughter...who aren't present...after waking up with an arm covered in blood.

Seemingly, without any memory as to how or why he ended up in such a state.

Either way...it starts to seem like he has become trapped in a hellish purgatory, of his own making...or something like that, at least.

One from which he must escape, perhaps, in order to be redeemed.

If it is not just a punishment, for his wrongdoings, that is.

Did he murder his family? Kill his daughter? Or lose them to a situation of domestic abuse?

Might he be stuck in a coma?

You are purposely left in the dark, and, thus, can only speculate.

As you wait for some sort of explanation- and payoff- in the end.

Luckily, it's rather a short film.

Clocking in at barely over 70 minutes.

So you don't need to invest an inordinate amount of time, in order to indulge, in it.

That being said...the mystery already starts to feel a bit redundant by the 40 minute mark.

As he is forced to reflect on a series of incidents from his past.

Prior to the twist kicking in, to offer some semblance of an explanation.

One which I could very well see many people thinking is a bit too predictable.

That being said...it's not necessarily a bad film, overall.

Just a simple one.

That could be seen as entertaining, if you aren't expecting anything too groundbreaking.

But it could, fairly, be considered to be just boring, at the same time.

Hence the divergent views, from reviewer to reviewer.

It does seem to have a bit of a religious tone to it, as well.

Which could also be a point of contention.

Though, it didn't bother me.

Because it isn't particularly preachy (like, say, Nefarious is).

But it's certainly nothing special.

2.5 out of 10.