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I Dream of a Psychopomp
USA 2021
produced by
Danny Villanueva jr for How Bizarre Pictures
directed by Danny Villanueva jr
starring Elohim Peña, Steven Alonte, Kulani Kai, Byron Daniel Bishop, Danny Villanueva jr, Katelin Stack, Luis Rico; segment Spellbound High Monster Hop: Fiona Rose, Olivia Tennison, Easton Michaels, Coda Li Marcus, Travis Greene, Byron Daniel Bishop; segment Answers: Peter Knox, N. Meridian, Dan Davies, H. Adoni Esho, Eshan Khalani; segment Until Forever: Jillian Lebling, Ben Shaul, Jay Rattle, Reinhold Von Bolt
written by Danny Villanueva jr, except segment Until Forever: story by J. Anthony Ramos, Danny Villanueva jr, screenplay by J. Anthony Ramos, music by Donny Walker, special effects makeup by Tori Rodriguez, Sara Elizabeth Bradley
review by
Mike Haberfelner
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Kerry
(Elohim
Peña) loses his wife Evelyn (Kulani Kai) in a car accident, which
he rather miraculously survives - and since then he's overcome
with both grief and guilt, and it's probably the latter that lets
him see and feel Evelyn every now and again, but also he starts to
be somewhat drawn to other people on the cemetary his wife's
interred in and unwillingly take part in their sad stories ...
- Spellbound High Monster Hop: There's Caroline (Fiona Rose), a high school student who's so
thrilled to have a date (Easton Michaels) for the annual dance she
fails to hear a fire drill - which is actually more than just a
drill ...
- Answers: Two cops (Dan Davies, H. Adoni Esho) ask psychic
Deena (N. Meridian) to question child killer Carl (Peter Knox) for the
location of a missing and presumed dead kid (Eshan Khalani) - only
Carl isn't all he seems ...
- Until Forever: Young cancer patient Elayna (Jillian Lebling)
breaks into an abandoned house one night, to find old Adriano (Ben
Shaul), who might have the answer for her suffering - but that answer
might only lead to much more pain ...
But what do all these stories mean, to him and to dead Evelyn, and what
does this creature called Psychopomp (Steve Alonte) want who has come to
guide Kerry and who might be a demon or an angel or Death himself, or
something completely different ...
Now the word Psychopomp might sound very weird to Western ears
and might trigger all sorts of comedic associations (it has for ignorant
me to be honest), but it's actually a creature from Ancient Greek
mythology, and its literal meaning is "guide of souls" - and
that's a fitting title for the movie not only because a Psychopomp is a
key character but also because this is first and foremost a film about
grief and letting go. That said though, the film's still deeply rooted in
the horror genre and delivers on the fear and the macabre front, it's just
a welcome proof that horror can do more than just shock its audience, and
that's done via clever storytelling that plays its stories out on more
than one level, a subtle direction that doesn't always go for the obvious
and the spectacle, and a solid cast bringing it all to life - and the
result is pretty good genre entertainment with a welcome amount of depth
to it.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes,
cuddly toys and
shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill
Your Bones to
is all of that.
Tales to Chill
Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays
ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic
to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by
the twisted mind of
screenwriter and film reviewer
Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill
Your Bones to
the new anthology by
Michael Haberfelner
Out now from
Amazon!!! |
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