The Reaper Man (2023) User Reviews (4)

A solid if unspectacular effort that treads down well-worn paths

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 6/10 · 18 April 2023]

After the death of her husband, a grieving widow trying to get past the incident turns to a friend who practices black magic in order for her to see him again, but when the spell goes awry and he returns as an avenging spirit out to avenge his murder sets out to kill those who killed him.

On the whole, this is a pretty solid indie film with a lot going for it. Among the better elements of this one is the straightforward and simplistic story, which isn't original or creative in the slightest but serves this one well enough for this kind of film. The initial introduction with the failed home-ownership scandal and eventual home invasion that kills off the husband gives this a fine starting point, while the resurrection method of bringing in the witchcraft-practicing neighbor who casts the wrong spell to bring him back to life is all well and good at getting the body back to enable the resultant spree. None of this is handled originally or with any kind of creative spark but as a means of propelling the film along it's all quite likable enough. This setup allows for the film to bring about a rather solid series of stalking and killing scenes as the whole revenge motive is brought to the forefront. Featuring a simplistic but effective look for the killer as he goes about his work with the oppressive overcoat, demonic stare, and booming voice, there's enough here to work with the type of film this is as he goes about appearing randomly at the houses of each of the responsible parties to take them out in brutal fashion. Taking the impetus of attacking and killing each of the victims as well as their family members as a means of seeking revenge for what happened, that adds a lot of intrigue to what's going on even if there's not much to the scenes as a whole. Throwing in a decent enough twist in the finale to help this out a little more, these elements are all enough to make this far above average. There are a few issues that bring it down. One of the main factors is the aforementioned lack of creativity or originality present since this one pretty much runs through the well-worn ground without much in the way of differentiating itself from the pack. Taking on the core concept of the wrongful death being undone with a miscast spell that turns the victim into a demonic serial killer seeking revenge on those that originally wronged him is such a common trope that it's hard to get invested in this type of storyline as it's been done so many times over it's hard to bring anything resembling a fresh spark to the concept. That's the case here, handling the material well enough for what it is but simply being a carbon copy of dozens of others doesn't help it stand out much. This goes hand-in-hand with the obvious low budget, with the lack of action, guerilla-style production, and overtly obvious dearth of blood or gore in the kills which are just out-of-focus or off-camera which aren't too detrimental but do hold this one back.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

Not bad

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 15 April 2023]

How low was the budget for this movie? Well, director, writer, cinematographer, grip, editor and executive producer Janon Lockridge could only afford to hire a makeup artist and a producer. And that producer, Taylor Gilliland, had to act in the film due to an actress being a no-show during production. To top that, there was so little money that Lockridge was only allowed to visit locations an hour before call time, which meant that he had to block the scenes and change them with little to no time for error.

Joseph (Kenon Walker) and Jessica (Jessica Jai Johnson) thought they had their dream home until someone outbids them. When they get back to their not such a dream home, it's when some burglars are in the middle of a home invasion and Joseph gets killed. But by the time the cops catch the suspects, they're already dead.

After a visit to Sheba (Tarsha Gibson), a voodoo priestess, Joseph is no longer the man that Jessica once loved. Now, he's the Reaper Man. Obviously, many will compare this to Candyman, but for the budget, this works really well and Lockridge shows his skills in the face of hardship, including the death of his father while he was in production.

Lingering suspense

[monicaphodge · 6/10 · 19 March 2024]

Right away, the audience is introduced to a husband with passion and heart and a wife that is tired of being disappointed. Very good acting by the lead characters. The first act was action packed. So packed, I had to rewind due to missing some key elements of the story. The middle is too slow. I wanted more drama from the wife. More anger! Sad and mad are close friends. If she would have had a major outburst, the 2nd act would have moved at a more steady pace. I wanted more creepy from the voodoo lady. She was kind of flatline. The officer characters were passionate. The one character I was disappointed in was the sister. I wanted her to be more involved in interaction. That shows the true deception she was giving. Definitely was a twisted ending but predictable. Dial up the horror. More noise and more action.

Exceptionally Well Done

[kristienecole · 10/10 · 6 November 2022]

Great movie. The plot was fantastic and the actors were very talented.

The film opens with a loving couple attempting to purchase a house and after receiving the difficult news that they would be unable to purchase, the couple returns to their home, disappointed, where they walk in on a home invasion by 4 masked men.

Sadly, this results in the husband's murder.

After burying her husband, the grieving widow seeks help from a voodoo priestess.

Unbeknownst to her, the spell cast brought back her husband in the form of a spectre. From there, the husband proceeds to avenge his death and his wife's suffering by eliminating those involved with his murder.

The film it's self as well as it's concept is not an inherently new idea nor is it entirely unique. There are obvious comparable stories and plot lines such as Candyman, Nightmare On Elm Street, and I would even go as far to mention any and every classic revenge horror film ever made, that follows this exact format.

This film, unlike a lot of others, leaves the viewer satisfied seeing as all loose ends were tied and all questions answered. However, there is certainly more to be said for the character of the wife and how she was unable to fully heal from the tragedy which leaves room for an anticipated sequel.

My favourite part of the story was the sincerity and the romance between the husband and wife. Their love was very beautiful to see prior to and after the murder. It made the story significantly better. It made her loss real and forced the audience to be sympathetic and understanding of her grieving process. This is a huge credit to the actors for providing a believable performance that not even some A-list actors can portray.

I think the film was very well balanced in terms of horror, story, and comedy. Not too much gore without context. The story was superb. And it was comedic when necessary and appropriate, and without losing the tone or providing tonal dissonance which is a common fail in stories about grief and loss.

I would love to see it again.