She Who Must Burn (2015) User Reviews (9)

Very disconcerting

[ulric99 · 6/10 · 3 November 2016]

This was not an easy movie to watch, on a number of levels.

It is not an anti-Christian movie nor is it pro /anti abortion. It's a movie that is about the horrors that exist around us but yet remain unseen (or unresolved).

The movie seems to have been a low budget movie; there was nothing in the specs to indicate how much was spent making the movie and, the actors were all unknown to me.

The acting was a bit wooden. I'll put that down to the actors still learning how to play their given roles.

The story reminded me of my favourite all time movie "The Wicker Man". The hero and heroine of the story meet untimely deaths at the finalie of the movie. Watching the lead actress being burnt at the stake was not easy and, it was a lot more graphic than The Wicker Man.

I was frustrated with the town sheriff's lack of action when he confronted the zealots. He seemed to lack either the motivation or desire to stop the homicide proceeding. And, I was disappointed that the zealots all got killed by (at a guess) God's intervention.

Overall, it held my attention. It is definitely worth a watch but once is enough. If you can wait until it comes out on weekly DVD hire then all the better. I'd like to see more from the same scriptwriter if he gets more funding. I believe that he has the potential to do some good work.

Not worth it. Nihilistic, anti religion and a little dumb

[jbar19 · 5/10 · 17 October 2016]

I'm only giving this movie a 5 because of the good acting. Otherwise, it is a 3.5.

The problem is how the characters react to the story line. They make really poor, almost unbelievable decisions. Several times in the movie I was distracted and baffled by some of these character decisions.

There is an anti religion theme running through this movie but it's not too bothersome because it's hard to be insulted by a movie so silly.

The Super Religious Zealots are very one dimensional. They embody almost everything wrong with religious fundamentalism and their actions are so evil it's hard to see how any religion would justify them.

The Good Guys of the movie make really bad decisions, and then make things worse by making even worse decisions. It gets frustrating.

But the real problem with this movie is. well, it is largely empty. The director pads the running time with pensive shots of clouds and barren landscapes. A lot of this movie could be watched in fast forward.

The atmosphere is creepy but plodding. The acting, however, is quite good. I just wish they had a little more meat in the story for these guys to chomp into.

One point; Obviously, one or two of these people appear to be psychic. Why didn't they follow up on this? (Or were the people not psychic but merely good guessers?) Who knows, it went unexplored.

There was also almost an anti capitalist vibe where everyone had an oppressive boss and no one had insurance. Isn't this a Canadian movie?

The ending was just plain hollow, silly, unresolved and lacking.

Don't be fooled by the reviews. There are plenty of better movies to see out there.

This movie rips off some of 'The Devil's Rain'. The Devil's Rain was a 1970s cheesy movie of the week with William Shatner and Ernest Borgnine and it is better in many ways than this unsatisfying, story.

Another similar movie is 'Kill List', which handles this territory much better.

Don't Waste Your Time, Liberal Propagana.....Feminism Good Everyone Else Bad..

[Dark_Lord_Mark · 2/10 · 24 October 2018]

It's a horror movie by Liberal Hollywood. It's a testing ground for more crappy ideas.

Essentially men bad, Christians bad, me progressive so I good. Yep that's the movie.

Movie is piss poor but the acting was good. It's really due to all the characters are one dimensional, so not much was needed in terms of range.

Basically Planned Parenthood are the good guys....and that's the plot. Oh and Whites, Christians, Straight men are evil...yep....

2 out of 10. Film not a complete mess, but still a mess.

Complete garbage, nonsense, and a waste of intellect

[violinjoe · 1/10 · 24 February 2018]

Religious fanatics of the Christian variety are a favorite punching bag of Hollywood. More than half the country identifies as Christian. So they're already insulting our intellect with one-sided storytelling--and more directly with personal religious faith. I think the only reason anyone would find this irrational "story" even slightly scary would be because the religious fanatics could be real. Otherwise the entire premise falls flat.

That being said, the movie is pure garbage.

The worst part is that the movie assumes that everyone who watches it will be inherently pro-choice. The directors make no effort to create anything beyond one-dimensional religious fanatics. It's a vanity project for pro-choicers who want to paint anyone with religious faith (who also happens to be pro-life) as an insane psychopath. No effort to sway my opinion as an audience member. No effort to show both sides of the story. Nope, just straight up bilge of filmmaking. It's a bunch of lies, it's propoganda, it's crap.

There are pro-life feminists. There are pro-life atheists. No religious affiliation. Look it up. Are they a danger too? O is it only religious pro-lifers who could possibly do something like this?

There is no discussion of what actually occurs during an abortion. Even good movies about abortion don't shy away from the topic. This movie is pathetic.

By the way, where exactly ARE they? Why does NO ONE have health insurance? And what a joke to actually pretend that Planned Parenthood does follow up counseling. Over women getting abortions? Yeah, right.

More liberal propaganda

[mippin · 1/10 · 21 February 2019]

I have to agree with Dark_Lord_Mark's review. If you are more conservative you probably won't like it.

A harrowing experience

[filmbizarro · 7/10 · 5 August 2015]

Larry Kent is not an unfamiliar name in Canadian cinema, having made a number of features since the '60s. He might not be the first name you think of when you think of Canadian film, but several of his movies are quite well-regarded by those who have seen them. He started out with exploitation but with "She Who Must Burn" he is mainly exploiting my anxiety and my anger towards extremists in religion - in the very best way, of course.

A fanatical evangelist kills a nurse in a planned parenthood clinic, after which the clinic is shut down. Angela worked as a counselor there, and people continue to see her for help after the clinic shuts down. When Angela helps the wife of one of the evangelists to get to a safe place after he raped and beat her, the group of religious nuts go after Angela and the people who came to her for help.

"She Who Must Burn" is not an easy watch - it's harrowing to the core. That's proof of talent in a filmmaker if there ever was. If a movie can get me as riled up and nervous as Larry Kent succeeded with in this, then that is a good movie in my eyes. There are some common traits between this and other movies dealing with a similar plot, but many of those movies come off as cheap horror movies in comparison. With a subplot of a storm coming, there is something very methodic to this movie, always making sure we don't feel safe. The evangelists are rather stereotypical but there isn't too much you can do to these characters if you want to stay within the frames of Christianity. The performances are still very effective despite being cut from the same cloth as characters we've seen before.

This is definitely not a gory movie, but there are several scenes that could turn the stomach of some. When there's violence it gets quite nasty. Right in the beginning we're treated to the birth of a stillborn, and while I have seen way worse scenes in many movies, I still found the dead baby incredibly creepy to look at. It prepares us for some heavy scenes that we'll get later on.

I'm confident that "She Who Must Burn" will split people. Even when acknowledging it as being effective and graphic, some people could have a problem with its ending. Personally I found myself to be in a state of both emptiness and relief at the same time as the credits rolled. It's in no way a happy ending, nor is it a fair ending - but there is something to it that sticks.

There's an anger brewing inside of me when I watch movies like "She Who Must Burn". I guess having lived my entire life free from religion, I find myself get very affected by extremists in film. "She Who Must Burn" is fuel to the fire. The movie is terrifying without ghosts or monsters, but because of the strong beliefs. I think you have a fair idea of what this movie is, so you probably know if it's for you or not. If you want to see an over-the-top religion horror that gets you to the core, then this is for you.

Great Canadian political-horror film ! Best one in 10 y.

[oaspag-71318 · 9/10 · 7 February 2017]

Hey !

I watched this film at Fantasia Festival 2015 and was absolutely blown away. This is one of the best English Canadian horror films in the last decade made by a legendary Canadian 80s+-year old filmmaker whom I spoke to while the after movie presentation/he was answering audience questions. I told him : ''Wow Congrats, this film has such deep seriousness and mature/adult content...it's terrifying, brilliant, it deals with real heavy deep subject matter such as religion, atheism, abortion, science, biology, women's rights/freedoms, religious fanaticism/cults, psychologically horrific violence and death...''. He was very flattered! This film is not for the faint of heart because it deals with very adult R-18 serious psychological matter, especially for women watching this, you are cautioned to not watch this, if you feel insulted/can't take violent images pertaining to pregnancy/abortion/religion/atheism/pro-death/pro-life. It's a quite political/a big politic-religious-science motive powder keg covered in a terrorizing and bloody masterfully-orchestrated horror package (by a master legend director no less, and it shows; he's the Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorcese or Ridley Scott of Canada if even better).

The story is truly modern and 'old' as the times, it is about the rights of women to choose what to do with their bodies (as such there is a good dose/a hint of feminism in this film, it's not against it or to its disadvantage, it helps it in this case and is not so ''Preachy'' in its political message; yet there is one and it's very clear (some might call it a hidden feministic agenda, perhaps...still this is a Man/Male director so let's not forget that too; I think he was very sensible in his approach and doesn't lather on about it but makes a point). The film revolves around a young woman (a couple) who runs a fertility/abortion clinic in a secluded area in Canada where a couple religious/pious people hear about that clinic and are hellbent (litterally like demons) are making sure she Dies for it. Because they are pro-life (against abortion, saying it tantamount to murder thus see her as 'baby/human murderer') and she is con-life (for abortion and makes the procedures); the films is axed on the religious cult insane zealots who chant religious songs of 'putting her to death because God said so since she is a Sinner for killing unborn children'... it's a struggle because they play nice but keep on harassing her (almost like stalking her everywhere and sexual harassment), and harassing her at the clinic...her boyfriend/husband tries his best to protect and recon-fort her/confront the crazies...but sadly he gets attacked viciously by the local religious pro-life backwoods rednecks...it's sad to see...she then basically absolutely alone in this fighting against these people and sadly, again, they capture her and beat to a bloody face...and then put her to death by burning her alive at the stake/tree...we watch her in a lengthy excruciating deadly sequence burn to death and scream in agony....the huge devil-like flames broiling her flesh...it truly is terrifying R-18 stuff as said...as the zealots look at her burn (''She Who Must Burn''...)..and smile almost chanting ''The Devil Witch is Burning...Burn! Burn in Hell Burn! B*tch.. Die Btch..Die...'' Very freaky and scary...you almost want to rip their hearts out and lop their heads off how much they are despicable evil monstrosities. The films ends there. We here the Thunder....as if God spoke...is verdict : Death.

It truly is a blend of forces of religion/past ways vs atheism/science/new ways. It is saying : yes a fetus is a life, but bringing a human to life and making misery to it - is not a life it's a condemnation - or basically death itself. As such adoption should always be the choice of women not from religious people who want to enforce their 'view' of the act of abortion 'as murder'...they are no better - they killer her, they committed murder...sometimes I think we need a sort a justice to decide what is best about this - made with all women so they can decide (men can be there too, but obviously it's the woman's body that 'gives birth' so she has the final say - on what happens in her/with her body, including the life/child she carries - it is in - her - body, nobody elses but hers; as such, it is HER Right - alone, and again, no one elses because No One Else lives in Her but Her).

Great Canadian Film !

9/10.

God will decide

[nogodnomasters · 7/10 · 19 September 2017]

A man murders an abortion clinic doctor. Unlike real killings, he had the backing of his church and community as part of a plan. Angela (Sarah Smyth) a nurse and counselor vows to stay on with her live-in boyfriend Deputy Mac (Andrew Moxham). However the Westboro-like woman's community has issues and they come to Angela for help to the ire of the congregation who must do God's work.

The film was successful in making me feel uncomfortable to watch it, which was the intended aim. It had that creepy "Children of the Corn" feel to it, except this was not far beyond the realm of possibility. I wish they has a different title and DVD cover as I keep expecting that scene as I watched the feature.

Guide: F-word. Rape. Wife beating. No nudity

Phanatics

[arthurtirrell · 25 April 2021]

Phanatics on both sides should be ignored, or killed.