Godforsaken

Some homecomings can be downright deadly!

I will lead with this, Godforsaken has plenty of great ideas and scares that could have been written out in a narrative form and bypassed all of the found footage shenanigans for stronger results.  On a horror point, this is a film which didn’t need the SHOCK and AWE of the found footage format.  It suffers a bit as a result of its reliance upon familiar tropes.

"There’s a nice sense of atmosphere kicking about its guts thanks to its small town vibe, but the small town of Minto only goes so far."


That being said, the opening mark is truly effective as fear grabs hold of a small community and never lets go.  Godforsaken definitely gets the sense of isolation down pat as one remote town faces a fear never before felt or imagined within their county lines.  

Lisa (Mélie Rondeau) has awoken.  No big deal, right?  Except she’s dead.  Wait.  What?  That’s right, Lisa LIVES AGAIN!  And something has risen from her coffin, but what is it?!.  

For her friend, Chad (Chad Tailor), a documentary filmmaker, this miraculous event is prime material for a film, so he turns on the cameras and rounds up some friends, Dom (Domenic Derose) and Katie (Katie Fleming), to document the healing of the sick in his hometown as Lisa makes the rounds.

Some say she is a God.  Some say she is an evil incarnate, but whatever Lisa has become likes to feast off of living animals and doesn’t want the truth of what it is to be unleashed just yet.  Turns out, not all miracles are holy.Godforsaken

Co-starring Nicole Fairbairn, JoAnn Bundock, and Flora Burke, Godforsaken gets some of its scares just right, making the church resurrection scene a pivotal moment in the film and one that makes solid use of reactions as the crowd practically stampedes over each other in trying to get out of the building.  Unfortunately, that is where the success of the found footage format stops.  The rest is just a bit too disjointed to ever pull together a tight thriller as Chad and his friends from Toronto try to get to the truth of what this thing is that Lisa has become.  

Written and Directed by Ali Akbar Akbar Kamal, Godforsaken has some bright moments.  There’s a nice sense of atmosphere kicking about its guts thanks to its small town vibe, but the small town of Minto only goes so far.  The “monster” at the center of the film - which has the whole town on edge - is surrounded by a whole lot of disingenuous responses as the team filming the mysterious happenings either seems to be at just the right place at just the right time or completely absent to document the real story.

And that ending?  Nah.

Godforsaken will premiere on the Terror Films Channel on March 25 followed by a worldwide digital release April 8.

2/5 stars

Film Details

Godforsaken

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
76 mins
Director
: Ali Akbar Akbar Kamal
Writer:
Ali Akbar Akbar Kamal
Cast:
Chad Tailor; Mélie B. Rondeau; Katie Fleming
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:

Memorable Movie Quote:
Theatrical Distributor:
Terror Films
Official Site:
Release Date:
March 25 (Terror Films) followed by a worldwide digital release April 8
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:

Synopsis:

An indie filmmaker visits his hometown to attend a childhood friend’s funeral. When she seemingly rises from the dead during her wake with mysterious abilities, he and a group of friends begin to investigate and record the town’s experience as they try to get to the truth. Some claim she is God; some claim she is pure evil. They soon learn that not all miracles are holy.

Art

Godforsaken