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Know Fear
USA 2021
produced by Adam Ambrosio, Anthony LoCascio (executive) for Film Valor
directed by Jamison M. LoCascio
starring David Alan Basche, Mallory Bechtel, Jack DiFalco, Meeya Davis, Amy Carlson, David Johnson, Susan Feinman, Chase Bolnick, Mike Nguyen, Tom Coughlin
written by Adam Ambrosio, Jamison M. LoCascio, music by Adam Ambrosio, special effects makeup by Nicholette Talley
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
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Donald (David Alan Basche) and Wendy (Amy Carlson) have just moved into
their new home when Wendy starts acting weird - in a way that includes
self-harming and detachment from reality, and to an extent that Donald has
to fear she might seriously hurt herself or others. Thing is, Donald has
no idea what might be wrong with his wife. His niece, wannabe paranormal
investigator Jami (Mallory Bechtel), claims it has to do with a book she
found in the house having to do with demonic possession, and they - being
her, her brother Charlie (Jack DiFalco) and Donald - have to perform a
ritual to banish the demon. Of course, Donald, living in the here and now,
doesn't believe a word she's saying, and flat out refuses to have to do
anything at all with any ritual - so Jami sets the thing in motion in
secret - and suddenly they, plus Wendy's best friend Nancy (Meeya Davis),
who has come by for a social call, find themselves locked into the house,
and it seems the spell starting the ritual really works, as according to
the manual, one - Charlie - can hear the demon, one - Jami - can see them,
and one - Donald - can speak their language, thus read from the book of
spells to banish the demon. There's one big problem though, the demon
doesn't want to be banished, and uses extreme violence to keep its human
adversaries from finishing the ritual ...
Now Know Fear might not exactly re-invent the wheel,
but it does what it has set out to do very well, and that's to create a
very effective mix of haunted house and demonic possession thriller, one
that's high on atmosphere but isn't afraid to show the more visceral
aspects of its story when needed. But what makes this movie work on more
than just a technical level is that the characters all feel very real, for
one because they're not overburdened with too complex backstories, but
also because their actions and reactions feel rational rather than just
serving the plot, and credit of course also goes to a very grounded small
ensemble. So in all, this is a pretty cool spooker for sure.
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