Bethany (2017)

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Please please please DO NOT watch this movie. i don't think i will ever recover. first of all, it took the ENTIRE movie to get to the action. all it was was her "visions" for the first hour, and the last 15 minutes or so was actually action. and the action wasn't even all that great. there was absolutely no chemistry between any of the characters, and half of the subplots made no sense and no contribution to the movie.also, the ending....DISTURBING. that horrific scene (if you've watched it you'll know which one i'm talking about) absolutely did not need to go on for that long. it was awful. all and all it was a really boring movie that made no sense and i wouldn't even have finished if i didn't know there was an unexpected "twist". please. save your time and spare yourself.

This was an interesting little gem of a horror film. The acting was great, it was decently edited, and overall I would say that it was a pretty well crafted flick. While I am sure that it was shot on a very low budget based on how many of the shots were tightly framed on actors this actually helped play into the psychological elements, as other reviewers pointed out, gave it a claustrophobic feeling. The low budget didn't seem too noticeable when it came to the visual effects as well. What practical effects were utilized were highly effective and actually made me squirm a few times, while its CG effects looked relatively seamless. While sort of a minor thing to point out I really did appreciate its effort in crafting the main characters, particularly Claire. I've watched many low/micro- budget horror films over the years and you'd be surprised at how many of them fail to even accomplish something as basic as this. My issues with the film lie largely in its structure and plotting. being a slow burn, one would expect it to unravel at a certain pace, but there were moments where the film dragged to an excruciating crawl, or without warning sped up way too rapidly, as well as scenes that would have been better placed much earlier in the film. I don't want to give any spoilers or dive too far into the plot because this is a film that works better the less you know going into it, but when its payoff was unveiled It didn't really work for me.The exposition was rushed out in an unnatural way, and logistically it didn't make too much sense. instead of resolving issues it just created more. Also the score was really bad in some parts. There is a scene that clearly lifts the main theme from Tony Scott's True Romance and makes a few minor tweaks to make it different enough but it completely took me out of the film for the entirety of that scene. I don't think a film should solely be judged by its ending which is why I would still recommend this. It has some truly effective scenes, and does work as a psychological horror film for the most part. Overall, I was impressed, this feels like a stepping stone towards something better, and I look forward to James Cullen Bressack's next effort.

Bethany is a horror movie about a couple that move into the childhood house of the wife where strange things start to happen. The wife starts becoming unhinged so what forces are at work? Bethany has decent acting and the ending explains the events throughout the film adequately. The pacing of the movie is okay but there are some boring segments in the movie. Bethany is a decent time but I would recommend watching this on DVD or free to air TV. It is better than some other indie horror films. My score 5/10.Jackal

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. There were some legitimately unsettling scenes that unfolded throughout the course of the movie (particularly the fingernail scene and the sewing on of the mask). As the movie progresses, we see more glimpses of the abusive nature of Claire's mother. This psychological plot point was handled well. The pacing of the movie was good, and the ending was satisfying. The story of Bethany/Mallory unfolded nicely as well. The main actress, Stefanie Estes, did a great job. Some of the flaws of the movie: Honestly, I just didn't enjoy the acting of Zack Ward. His performance felt one dimensional and unrealistic, and I wish they had gotten someone else to play that role as Aaron was such a central character. There were also a few things that seemed out of place/disjointed. One of my smaller grievances is the fact that nobody seemed the smell the decaying body that was trapped within the house. I can forgive this a bit because it a horror and we are to suspend some disbelief. My biggest grievance would be the death of the psychiatrist. It just didn't fit, and I don't like how it was handled. Very unsatisfying. Like I said, overall I did enjoy the movie as a whole. It's definitely worth a watch if your a fan of psychological horror/haunted house horror fare.