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Reviewed by Kevin Scott

MoreHorror.com

Banshee Chapter (2013)

Written by: Blair Erickson, Daniel J. Healy

Directed by: Bair Erickson

Cast: Katia Winter (Ann Roland), Ted Levine (Thomas Blackburn), Michael McMillian (James Hirsch), Jenny Gabrielle (Callie), Vivian Nesbitt (Olivia Kmiec)

“Banshee Chapter” exemplifies the phrase “Still Waters Run Deep”. The poster art lends to either some “Hellraiser” action with some skinned twisted Epicureans or it’s some sort of anatomical horror indie flick. I dunno. After writing a good many reviews by now, I always notice patterns about the things that I mention repeatedly. I realized that I’m a sucker for good poster art. That all too critical first impression that hooks you. “Banshee Chapter” ended up being nothing of what I thought it would be.

The opener shows a montage of legit footage about government mind control experiments. One in particular has been dubbed “Project MKUltra”. What singles this...

Review Owen Williams 6 Feb 2014 - 06:20

Lovecraft, government experiments and Hunter S. Thompson collide in this lo-fi low-budget horror movie

Over the last couple of decades, much of the information pertaining to the Us Government’s infamous MKUltra human research experiments has been declassified. In many ways the truth is stranger than fiction: Us and Canadian citizens were used as guinea-pigs in human behavioral tests often involving mind-altering psychotropic drugs that had lasting and damaging effects on the people they were administered to. The officially sanctioned programs began in the 1950s and were only ultimately curtailed in 1973, and while Freedom of Information requests have helped illuminate the formerly shadowy undertaking, much remains secret, and conspiracy theorists continue to link the dubious and sinister tests to events from the Jonestown mass suicide to the JFK assassination.

It’s amazing there aren’t more films riffing on the subject: something that clearly...

Stars: Katia Winder, Michael McMillian, Ted Levine | Written and Directed by Blair Erickson

The Banshee Chapter follows journalist, Anna (Winter) who is investigating the disappearance of her friend James (McMillan). James has been experimenting with strange drugs that the Us military used in real life experiments in the 1960s. These experiments had very weird and sinister results, of course, so as Anna goes about her investigation, weird and sinister things begin to happen to her too. I really liked this. It’s got quite a bit going on, including but not limited to archival footage both fictional and real, strange referencing of real life cultural figures and Lovecraftian horrors from beyond the veil. As such, it was a little unpredictable, which I liked.

Whilst we know what beats and tropes to expect from a film involving zombies or creepy children or vampires, there isn’t really an established dialogue for...

There’s nothing like a good scare to get the blood flowing, am I right horror fans? While a film’s story keeps us engaged, its ability to scare us silly is what keeps us on our toes, covered in a blanket, and clinging to the closest arm. Now, there are a few ways to go about spooking viewers – and not all work. Anybody can orchestrate a jump scare, which makes them sometimes more frustrating than enjoyable, but to string together a chain of pure, atmospherically beneficial jump scares, that’s where excitement comes into play. As a horror fan who hates cheap scares and lame tactics that undoubtedly jolt viewers anyway, I’ve got to hand it to first time writer/director Blair Erickson on his first feature The Banshee Chapter, a supernatural thriller that almost gave me a damn heart attack.

After the disappearance of fellow journalist/close...

Monday

The fifth and final day of Frightfest mercifully began a little later than the preceding days, a boon to many now slightly flagging and delirious film fans. Unfortunately, the first film on the main screen was the single worst feature I caught at the festival. Dark Touch (Marina De Van) features a French crew and an Irish cast and one wonders if something drastic was lost in translation. It’s the story of an eleven year old girl called Niamh (Marie Missy Keating) whose parents and baby brother are killed when household objects seemingly begin to attack them of their own accord. She goes to live with family friends but the mysterious occurrences start to happen again.

It’s apparently a film about child abuse but it misjudges its take on this very difficult subject so badly, it’s borderline offensive. It’s also just stupid. If I were...

Banshee Chapter

Written by Blair Erickson

Directed by Blair Erickson, Daniel J. Healy (story)

Germany/USA, 2013

“We didn’t want things jumping out at you. We wanted you to feel immersed, as if you were inside the scene.” Director Blair Erickson can only be referring to 3D; unlike many lazily post-converted blockbusters, his Banshee Chapter was filmed entirely in stereoscopic 3D, a conscious choice from the outset of the film’s production and a risky experiment for something so low-budget.

The risk hasn’t completely paid off. In Banshee Chapter, journalist Anna Roland’s (Katia Winter) search through the CIA’s Mk-Ultra history calls too much attention to itself precisely because of the unnecessary visual enhancement. A mixture of documentary, found footage, and archive reels, Banshee Chapter sources a variety of different methods but consistently undersells itself due to its third dimension. The appeal to immersion has achieved precisely the opposite effect; on an ordinary,...