Witches of Blackwood

Wow. This was 1 hour and 18 minutes of undiluted boredom.

When I sat down to watch the 2020 movie "The Unlit" (aka "Witches of Blackwood"), I hadn't even heard about the movie. But the fact that it was a supernatural thriller and one that I hadn't already seen was enough to make me interested in watching it. And of course the movie's cover was definitely also serving as something to lure me in.

But "The Unlit" from writer Darren Markey and director Kate Whitbread was an insanely slow paced movie with virtually nothing happening throughout the course of the entire movie. I kept watching this ordeal of a movie in the hopes of something actually happening, because the movie seemed interesting from the cover and its synopsis.

However, don't get your hopes up for "The Unlit", because this movie was boredom incarnate. The storyline was so simplistic that it was bordering on being a slap to the face of the viewers. The only thing that kept "The Unlit" somewhat afloat was some fair enough acting performances by the cast.

I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress that performed in "The Unlit". And that is usually something I enjoy in movies, and it was nice enough here as well, despite the movie having virtually almost no storyline.

"The Unlit" was a swing and a miss, and it fell short of providing me with any kind of proper entertainment or enjoyment. And this is not a movie that I would recommend you waste your time, money or effort on.

My rating of "The Unlit" lands on a generous two out of ten stars.

A new Aussie horror film, about dark forces, and family secrets.

When Claire Nash is suspended from the police force, we sense early there is an untold story about the death of Luke: a troubled young man she was trying to save. While her career is in limbo, she is summoned home to Blackwood by Uncle Cliff, to deal with the consequences of her own father's passing. From the outset Claire knows something is not right, not right with her and not right with her community.

Hollow eyed women walk the streets, the men have disappeared and there is an ominous sense of doom as Claire struggles to find the truth at the heart of it all. Unravelling her family story and the legacy of witchcraft that has overwhelmed the town brings Claire to a terrifying realization about the dark forces she feels within.

Creepy from the start!

Beautifully filmed for a small budget film, images of dark forest and wild ocean reinforce an uncomfortable world where nothing is what it seems. Sweeping shots of the forest establish the town's isolation from the rest of the world while the flashbacks to the coastal town, home to her boyfriend and the tragedy of Luke, show us that even her community doesn't quite trust Claire.

Clever in its development of tension, the film doesn't hold back on the blood and gore when it's required.

Although occasionally suffering from patchy characterization, experienced actors Cassandra Magrath, John Voce and up and comer Nicholas Denton (fantastic as Luke), maintain the menace and surprises loved by fans of this genre.

I'm going to write this in bullet point the best that in can. Please for my English and Grammer. Why I gave only 2 stars

1) Incredibly Short all films regardless of genre or country origin should ALWAYS BE MINIMUM of 90mins WITHOUT CREDITS. In this case couldn't squeeze out a extra 18mins of dialogue?

2) Incredibly slow moving with no reward at the end.

3) No scares no suspense no story.

4) In the notion of no story there was no explanation to the viewers of the short film(I used film for lack of a better word).

Me personally thought a stupid cat banging on a piano was more entertaining. I happened to think house cats are The Devil's Spies yet would've except one over this. The only thing I liked was for a few minutes when Claire comes into the town for a minute or 2 the film felt like the original "Children of the corn"

Just cardboard performances all round. Not a single redeeming feature. Why why do we {Australia} so rarely make something original and significant for the screen.

Nothing in the movie to keep you interested. Better spend time elsewhere.