Last Kind Words

First-time filmmaker Kevin Barker has managed to create an atmospheric ghost story with Last Kind Words (2012). The title, taken from an old folk song, where the "Kind" refers to something taken "in kind". It's not a bad little movie, just confusing as to the plot. You can tell Barker had all the right influences in his direction and loved the place where he was filming. However, the plot has trouble hanging together and key points are whisked out of thin air. Still, a good little film. Right now it's streaming on Netflix. There's even a dedicated Facebook page for it. The movie begins with Eli (Spencer Daniels) moving to rural Kentucky with his parents. You never know why they've decided to leave "the city" and return to the farm life, other than there's some mention of Eli's dad Bud having lost his job at a factory. They move into a mobile home on the land of Waylon (Brad Dourf), who lives in a picture-perfect big house. Eli instantly meets the mysterious red-haired Amanda (Alexia Fast) the moment he tries to take an apple from a tree. Bud, who proves to be an abusive father, scolds him for grabbing the apple, but Eli doesn't tell his father about Amanda. When Eli asks Waylon about Amanda, the older man warns him to stay away from her, claiming she's dangerous.

Much of the film consists of Eli wandering around the farm. You rarely see anything else, save the occasion trip to the store. While the land is beautifully photographed, the actor playing Eli just doesn't generate enough presence to make these scenes memorable. The actress playing Amanda, however, lights up the screen every time she steps into the frame. She has the right amount of ethereal personality to create a supernatural effect.

The other actors are all capable veterans. Brad Dourf, a character actor who sold the character of Piter De Vries in Dune, is amazing as Waylon. The man simply cannot give a bad performance. His name is in front and is the reason I watched Last Kind Words in the first place. I'd like to see more of Sarah Steele in the future; her brief appearances as Eli's city girl friend are memorable.

There's plenty of scares. All of which involve bodies hanging from a tree. The opening sequence involving a hunting tragedy is creepy and mysterious. You have to wait to the end of the movie to have it resolved. It's not the most satisfying of explanations, but works within the context of the film.

"Last Kind Words" is a very unlikely and different movie about a haunting. And it was a nice change of scenery to have a story dealing with a haunting in this manner, instead of it being all CGI effects and attempts to scare the audience.

The story in "Last Kind Words" is about a family that moves out to work on Mr. Waylon's (played by Brad Dourif) estate. While roaming the lands, Eli (played by Spencer Daniels), come to meet the young and reclusive girl Amanda (played by Alexia Fast). As their friendship grows, Eli stumbles upon the secret that Amanda is carrying about.

The movie was really well carried by the performances put on by Alexia Fast, Brad Dourif and Spencer Daniels.

As a movie without a myriad of CGI effects and in-your-face-effects, then "Last Kind Words" managed to tell a good story with only a handful of effects and make-up.

And story-wise, then director Kevin Barker managed to put together an enjoyable and entertaining movie, as well as contributing something new to the ghost / haunting genre.

However, the movie doesn't really have enough value to support a second watching. You watch the movie once, and then never return to it. But still, it was an entertaining movie.

I find there are elements in this film which would strike a chord somewhere within with each viewer. The story, the scenery, the actors were all excellent. A few parts reminded me of Elvis & Annabelle, but aside from that, the films are very different. It is quite a daunting task to review this film without giving away too much (which is why I recommend viewing it!). Imagery and symbolism are well used which made the film that much more interesting and beautiful. Yes, there are some moments that may cause some to shudder or "jump", but they are few and far between. The film does well in exploring life and death and even modern history. There is a great melodic/ballad song that plays at times which also really made the film. Worth watching!

17 year old Eli, his Mom and heavy drinking bully of a father move to a Kentucky farm, owned by a friend (Brad Dourif) of the dad. Eli meets an attractive teenage girl called Amanda but is soon warned to steer clear of her because she's dangerous. Soon the worlds of the living and of the dead intertwine in Eli's simple rural life. It is a bit slow going at times, there are several gaping plot holes and some instances of awkward silences, or in other words weak acting, during characters' conversations. However the plot and characters were sufficient to hold my interest, there a few reasonable scares and I liked the setting. Bit of a sad film overall, and I mean that in a positive way. Brad Dourif has starred in some horror classics, he's also been in some stinkers but given the material he gives a decent performance here. Certainly his fans should check this movie out.

This is a well made but odd little movie. I would categorise it more as a drama with supernatural themes, than a horror movie; it is essentially a ghost story. It is not groundbreaking, or even overly original, but it is executed very well. The acting is top class throughout and the characters keep you engaged. There are some parts of it which didn't make sense, but hard to discuss here without giving any spoilers, but just to hint at things, The old Girlfriend, and the uninvestigated murder. If I'm honest, it is not at all what I was expecting. The horror/supernatural elements were minimal, but when they appeared, were dealt with quite matter-of-factly.