MisterBlahBlah

Another solid showing from Andrew Bowser. The Decedent wears it's inspiration on it's sleeve--The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Mortuary Assistant, a bit of original Blair Witch, etcetera. There's not much fat to be trimmed here. You're not getting groundbreaking horror, but you're also not doomed to a weak-sauce PG-13 slog. The movie hits the setup, the lore, and then the horror at a good pace without breaking stride. The fixed multi-cam security footage style works well, and the Go-Pro POV is a clear evolution from Bowser's early work "Worm." I'm not a huge fan of the footage error effect, but I can forgive it in exchange for some sharp practical effects. Overall, I had a good time with The Decedent, and I think it was worth the watch.

What the general audience gets here is fun, and grindhouse fans with an eye for the genre get something they know has effort. A hallmark of this type of picture is ambition even beyond means, and it shows here in all the right and wrong ways exactly as it should. Schlock and style, rule of cool, shoestring quality practical effects blended with semi-uncanny digital effects wrapped around both precise and clunky shots. You don't have to fight your way through it if you treat it like a guilty pleasure snack and not a five course meal. It's a marriage of sharpness and cringe that just works and makes me happy that high-concept hasn't smothered the genre.

Given the review score, I went into this movie rather intrigued, but there are essentially no original ideas here. Every plot point and revelation is one you've seen before, and nearly every character is dumb to a point that not even the suspension of disbelief can justify it. The film's cinematography is noteworthy but brought down by the color grading and lack of budget for real sets. I did like the grandfather character, as each of his scenes were unique and striking compared to the rest of the by-the-numbers story beats and visuals.

And just to take up the last few characters to meet the review criteria, what kind of genius character would put their face near a pot of offal and hooves and expect any other smell beyond utter wretchedness?

Also, the number of perfect scores for this movie strikes me as very suspicious.