[Death's Door]
Plot:When a television psychic begins to get real results, the cast and crew of the show find themselves trapped by vengeful spirits.

Cast: Sewell Whitney, Alicia Petrides, Kristin Pfeifer, Ryan Ramos, Dominica Myers, Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, Joanna Fiore, Keith Bossier, Lauren Olipra, Patrick Thomassie, Rachel Kanouse, Michael Gaglio, Del Roy, Joy Sudduth.

My Thoughts:Above Average Indie.

Review:"Deaths Door" definitely has everything you'd expect an indie horror film to have. An 80's throwback feel, brought about by the low budget, a non-silverscreen tone and feel, and decent computer generated effects. But unlike a lot of other indie horror films, the movie brings a very intriguing and overall satisfactory storyline which both help elevate it to likeable status.

The film follows a medium who claims she can speak with those on the otherside. She is put in front of the cameras for a television show, which is filming live. She is put there as a catalyst for spiritual energy, but also in hopes that she'll have a heated confrontation with a well known minister, who the shows producer hopes to embarass on national tv using the medium.

But there is an angry spirit lurking about, and during the broadcast, it decides to show up and wreak havoc. Now, with people dying left and right, and time running short, those involved with the show will have to help the medium defeat the spirit and at the same time, discover the minister's connection to the other side which has ties to his own dark secret.

While not very greatly acted, "Death's Door" does manage to be totally carried by veteran thespian Alicia Petrides, who plays the medium Madame Camille in the movie. She is definitely a source of all things great in the film, and makes the most of her scenes. Kenneth Gust and Alex Keir, who wrote the film, made a good choice in making the character a serious medium, instead of a cheesy comical character, which could've ruined the movie and sent it crashing down really quickly.

The film also unravels a lot of subplots before the possessions kick in, such as the producer cheating on his wife, and the usual behind-the-scenes backstabbing that goes on in show-business. Although it's not ratcheted up to intolerable or hyper-annoying levels. It's kept as a part of the film, and is kept pretty much in context. It doesn't ever become the films basis or reason for being, and that's a good thing.

The movies most entertaining moments come when the show begins, and Madame Camille's ceremony ends up having deadly results. It's pretty easy for the viewer to understand what's happened in the course of the overall scenario, but the writers do kind of toy with things a bit, and when the films reaches it's conclusion, the twist is pretty interesting. Albeit kind of hard to watch considering the very low-budgeted visual fx.

The performances are very decent behind Petrides as Madame Camille, but make no mistake, Petrides definitely stands out amongst the other actors in the film in her role. The movie also has some very creepy moments, and manages to ix those moments very nicely with the blood, gore, and graphic violence we've all come to know, love, and expect from indie horror films and the indie horror subgenre in general.

The movies story is not the typical, stale, old ghost story, which is definitely a plus. Supernatural horror films are usually DOA when they rely on the typical, the cliche, and the mundane. But this movie does many new things which add a layer of suspense, intrigue, and overall enjoyment to the viewing experience. It also makes many scenes very realistic with some good, strong, dialogue, and some effective background music.

"Death's Door" would've been an even better movie if it had received an infuse of major cash. Maybe as much as "Hatchet" was shot on. This film seemed to actually try and be bigger than it's overall budget, and while that hurt it in a few areas, in other areas, it made it likeably ambitious. "Death's Door" is a good indie horror film to give a whirl if you're looking for something new and refreshing to check out from upcoming filmmakers.

Positives:The performances, most notably by Alicia Petrides. Good story, very effective death scenes, an ambitious script. An overall strong supernatural indie horror film.

Negatives:The visual fx were very weak at times.

Overall:Three and a half out of four stars.





( Talk about it in the Forums!)



( Back to the main page)