The Damned (2014)

Overrated and overhyped

Did you people see the same film I saw?

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

I watched this last night and feel compelled to make this the first review I have done on IMDb. I'm a huge Horror film fan and usually enjoy even the most generic of them. However, this is most definitely the exception.I'm not sure what exactly it does that is so wrong, but somehow it manages to create zero atmosphere, zero scares, and zero enjoyment. It shouldn't be the case though, with many of the elements there which usually make an at least passable horror film.(possible minor spoilers ahead in the check list, although I'm sure all are mentioned in the synopsis)Old house in the middle of nowhere...check. Bad weather...check. Shifty old dude...check. Possessed kid...check.Yet, for some reason it just fails miserably. I watched 'Livid' the night before, and whilst not great, it did at least have a tense, foreboding feel about it. Which at least made it worth a watch. The acting is poor in The Damned, the script is poor, the effects are poor and even the cinematography isn't great either. Not to mention it's almost completely devoid of any 'scares'.It's the first Horror movie in quite a while in which I found myself utterly bored. As the headline above says, this is best avoided.

OK so apparently Witches are the new concept to exploit. And apparently they can't die or something. This film was an opportunity to make a really sincerely scary horror film, but "the Damned" just doesn't hold it's weight. The movie was somewhat confusing, and overall it just wasn't scary enough. It started off a little creepy and atmospheric but that's only because the viewer is led on by gloomy surroundings and the location of the hotel they end up at. But once the "secrets" are revealed, it's pretty much all downhill. IFC has some very good films but this is one of the weaker ones. "The Squad" is a horror film that is also about witches and I totally recommend it over this movie.

The movie was good, but the end was somewhat stupid. It could have been done better. Entertaining, but nothing innovative. The actors are good, and the story is good... Throughout the movie is a demon trying to get out of the house while trying to get the family members kill each other just because they are on its way of killing someone who killed it in the first place... Oh, and I LOVE the fact that the film is mostly bilingual. Another reason why I like it. One of the actress, Gina, reminds me of Nicole Scherzinger. And throughout the film there is a family solidarity, which is another plus. This can be interpreted as the fact that whatever happens in life, you can overcome everything with a concord.

I didn't know what to think about this before I threw it on. Directed by Victori Garcia (the man who helmed my hands-down least favourite horror film of all time Hellraiser : Revalations), this appears to be the first film that allowed him full creative control. Prior to this movie, he was the director of Mirrors 2, Return To House On Haunted Hill, 30 Days Of Night : Blood Trails, and of course the worst movie ever… however, based on the jump in quality with this one, I have a feeling he felt considerably more free, and wasn't just after the work. Another surprise was the writer, Richard D'Ovidio, who previously penned Thir13en Ghosts, and The Call. All around, based on the previous work of both of these guys, this might have been one I avoided. I can honestly say, I'm glad that I didn't.The movie begins with some pretty flat seeming characters, and felt quite generic. That being said, the style actually seemed to change pretty drastically and became quite cool and atmospheric. The effects are minimal, and effective, and the actors seemed to get their sh*t together part way through the movie. The young girl who plays the 'ancient evil' is pretty effective and creepy, though her performance is pretty short lived once the the demon starts to switch bodies. The story moves along at a pretty good clip, and delivers on some pretty good tension all the way through, it does have fall a little bit flat from time to time, but not enough to kill the movie or stop it dead.I will say this, the story comes off a little bit heavy handed with the occasional voice over about secrets, and the fact that all of these characters are also tortured souls with deep dark secrets to be exploited. As a result, there are some moments that get a little bit eye-rolly, but overall it's actually pretty effective and does make a reasonable (albeit heavy handed) point about people's secrets coming back to haunt you.All that said, the movie is occasionally frightening, grim, and even becomes quite bleak and heavy near the end. It's also not a movie that forces a happy ending, and the ending feels natural without sequel baiting. That really was a breath of fresh air to have a movie end in a bit of a non-traditional, and down-note like this one did.So, all in all, this is a fun movie, that delivers a pretty satisfying level of scares throughout. It might not make anyone's top-10 of all time list, but it really is one of the better horror films I've seen this year. Go ahead and give it a watch, you could certainly do worse! Also, never, ever, ever watch Hellrasier: Revelations.Final Grade : B-(CHECK OUT MORE REVIEWS AT ACANADIANHORRORSTORY.COM)