Apprentice to Murder

An interestingly odd, if not too successful little folktale curio set in Pennsylvania (although it was shot in Norway) in the 1920s as a teenage boy Billy comes under the influence of a backwoods faith healer Dr. Reese who begins to educate him as he becomes drawn to his mystical charms. But Billy finds himself dragged into strange events which end in terrifying results as they believe the local hermit has the motive and power to cause the devastating blight affecting the small village.

Sometimes being unique and incredibly offbeat just doesn't cut it, if it doesn't entirely deliver the goods. I wanted to like "Apprentice to Murder" a lot more than I did, but I felt like it came up short by not completely coming to life with its dangerous predicament. It never really balances its sensationalised mystic concepts, tending to rely on its character relationships (especially the complicated connection between the boy and the faith healer), humdrum dramatic weight and slow- winding story build-up (some episodic filler) where it can have its flat spells. The most fascinating façade I thought was that of the hermit, which comes across very secondary to everything else, but is the main piece that holds everything together. Still its premise is innovative with a lyrical script that for most part engages with its busy themes.

It's low-key in its approach, which is not a problem but it never really delves into the strange happenings and vivid special effects that seem to torture the faith healer. We get the usual supernatural occurrences, that in the end all of this magic might just be that of a disillusion. But this is supposedly inspired by true events involving a pow-pow preacher and his faith in George Hohmann's "Long Lost Friend" that eventually led to murder. The performances stand up very well with Chad Lowe's responsible turn holding his own alongside a charismatically believable Donald Sutherland as the unorthodox faith healer. He does command the screen in a subtle manner emitting somewhat a creepy undertone. The gorgeous Mia Sara doesn't get all that much to do and Eddie Jones also shows up.

Director R. L Thomas does a sensational job presenting strikingly authentic period details, but also the moody score along with the elegant cinematography are instrumental in crafting enticingly symbolic imagery and an effective atmosphere of a god fearing time engulfing rural communities.

Donald Sutherland plays a pseudo priest / medicine man in what is supposed to be Pennsylvania Dutch Country, but is actually Norway. Unfortunately this based on fact Devil hunt, doesn't have enough of a story to maintain interest for 97 minutes, and a romantic subplot comes across as nothing but an afterthought. The real problem with "Apprentice to Murder" however, is the fatal flaw of not playing fair with it's audience. What is presented as fact, is suddenly turned upside down, as relates to the powers of a suspected "Devil". If a movie is going to basically trick people for the sake of sensationalism, it better present the trick in a way that leaves room for actually being able to believe the outcome. - MERK

Shot in September-November, 1986, this is a psychological drama and supernatural thriller based on a true story that took place in the Pennsylvania Dutch community southeast of York in late November, 1928. The case involved the practice of Braucherei or powwow, which was their brand of folk medicine. The book "The Long Lost Friend" was their manual, written by powwower Johann Georg Hohman (published in 1820).

Donald Sutherland is effective as the fascinating healer with a Christian garnishment while Chad Lowe works well as the naïve protagonist in a John Boy Walton kind of way. Meanwhile Mia Sara is stunning, fresh off her success with "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

The tone is lyrical with slight supernatural bits curiously thrown into the mix. It's an oddity that makes comparisons difficult, but there are fragments reminiscent of films like "Rachel, Rachel," "The Exorcist," "Picnic at Hanging Rock," "The Seventh Sign," "The Apostle" and "The Skeleton Key." This ranks with the least of 'em due to the ambiguity of the proceedings, but there's enough good here for those interested.

Speaking of the supernatural bits, are they for real or is it a depiction of events through a schizophrenic lens? The movie leaves it up to the viewer to decide.

I should add that Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs are included in the story, but they're oddly called "hexagrams" for some unknown reason.

It runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot in Nygardsparken in Bergen, southwest Norway, as well as Osteroy, just north of there. The actual house in the story stands to this day in southeast Pennsylvania and is, more specifically, located at Rehmeyer's Hollow, which is located 14 miles southeast of York, just a couple miles east of I-83.

GRADE: B-/B.

"Apprentice to Murder" carries an interesting theme with its narrative about a young man (Chad Lowe) who befriends a medicine man (Donald Sutherland) who can feel the presence of demon in other people and decides to commit murders in the name of God. Sounds something you seen before in other movies but this time we have a real life story that took place in the late 1920's. However the movie fails to deliver an interesting story and also fails to make viewers curious or deeply interested in the story thanks to a slow oriented presentation that takes ages to reach its summit and present the horrific elements behind the final murder.

Here's a regular and weak movie with some fine performances. Too bad those don't match with such a film that wastes the use of good actors (Eddie Jones is amazing as the boy's drunken father, and Donald plays the usual sinister type). The more it progresses the more the film gets stuck with repetition and a really progression of events that waste everybody's time. Don't waste yours, not even out of curiosity in seeing how the performances and settings go. 5/10.

I love this movie and have recommended it to my students in folk-magic because it is closely based on a true story of murder, mysticism, and (possible) madness concerning a Pennsylvania Dutch Pow Wow doctor in the mid-1920s. Donald Sutherland is superb as John Reese, the highly eccentric conjure and herbalist. Chad Lowe is quite good as his young apprentice. The location shots, filmed in Norway, are spectacular -- not Pennsylvania Dutch country, exactly, but a wonderful rural landscape, with great old 19th century buildings. There is also a very good look at contemporaneous hoodoo practices, as the Pow Wow doctor seeks an outside consultation to cure his ills. If you're a prop and set decoration fan and knowledgeable about magic, look for the couple of Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs (inexplicably called "hexagrams" -- the movie's one false step) that contain Norse bind-runes thrown in on them -- obviously that was the Norwegian prop-maker's little in-joke. This is a great little underrated classic, and the perfect vehicle for Donald Sutherland.