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Stars: Danielle Jadelyn, Yael Grobglas, Yon Tumarkin, Tom Graziani, Fares Hananya, Steven Hilder | Written and Directed by Doron Paz, Yoav Paz

Religion is the perfect breeding ground for horror, you just have to look at the bible for evidence of that… That’s why releasing Jeruzalem around Easter seems so perfect… However, are we tired of the found footage horror? Or does this religious horror film bring something different to the table?

Sarah (Danielle Jadelyn) and Rachel (Yael Grobglas) fly to Israel to party, and have a good time. Finding themselves in the city of Jerusalem everything seems fun at first. When the world around them descends into chaos and it appears a hell of biblical proportions is rising, can they survive?

Found footage films work if the film has a reason for the camera to be placed into the hands of one of the characters. In Jeruzalem the camera...

Is it coincidence that Google filed a new application to revive Google Glass on December 28th (despite halting production on the prototype in January) just weeks before Israeli-set horror film JeruZalem supplies a 90-minute adventure into Hell through those exact lenses (albeit a pair of fictitious knock-offs)? Yes. It’s most definitely a coincidence. But whether that technology was going to stay dead or be reborn has little bearing on Doron and Yoav Paz‘s latest work because utilizing it provides an effective gimmick regardless. Doing so is by no means wholly original with the effect proving [Rec] meets Cloverfield meets Unfriended, but sometimes a slight twist is enough to render a maneuver fresh. I actually would’ve liked more electronic “glass” intrusions than were used to set it further apart.

The Paz Brothers open their tale with the apparatus’ acquisition as a gift from Mr. Pullman (Howard Rypp) to his...

Stars: Danielle Jadelyn, Yael Grobglas, Yon Tumarkin, Tom Graziani, Fares Hananya, Steven Hilder | Written and Directed by Doron Paz, Yoav Paz

Falling firmly in the goofy camp of horror gimmicks is Jeruzalem, an Israel-set shocker that uses the holy city as its canvas and Google Glass as its brush. We’ve seen Pov films before (Rec 2, Enter the Void), but don’t just get to see and hear young American Sarah’s get-away vacation of a lifetime – we get to see the Facebook profiles of everyone she meets, too. Including augmented reality will almost definitely date the film, but it also gives the benefit of lightning-fast exposition; we learn key characters’ names as soon as they appear onscreen along with a snapshot of their personality. It does take something away from the natural character development you might otherwise expect, though a film like Jeruzalem likely wouldn’t have a lot...