#fromtheshadows

SYNOPSIS: Enigmatic leader of the Hidden Wisdom cult, Dr. Joseph Cawl , and eighteen of his followers die in a suspicious fire. Five young survivors, suspected of igniting the blaze, reach out to paranormal researcher Amara Rowan in hopes of uncovering the real cause of the blaze. When they expose the truth behind the disappearance of Cawl’s partner, Dr. Leonard Bertram, they become the target of a deranged killer who is dead set on terminating them all.

REVIEW: FROM THE SHADOWS mixes smartphone footage, computer conference footage and traditional cinematic narrative to present a tale of spiritual academics who unleash an ancient power that threatens to destroy things. It’s an awkward mix of narrative and visual styles that becomes a bit confusing and is more of a classic b-movie horror tale.

There’s nothing new to the plot, I’ve seen one version or another of it over the years regardless of the visual style. The story doesn’t capture many of the more current genre themes. Survivors are taken out one by one, and as it is whittled down to the core few mysteries are revealed. At their university library location Amara and her colleague are under attack by phantom creatures. As he tries to assist her and the folks on the computer he endeavors to keep them from getting in. The story is slow paced due to a lot of talking heads grinding exposition out. Much of it is explaining what is going on for what is supposedly the audience’s benefit.There are “ancient” images, V-Tech, that tap into this mystical power, which was the cause of the fire and unleash these spirits. AT one point one of the characters brings in a Native American element to the story. Some of the dialogue is a bit rough, such as “this is a scary situation and we need to figure this out together.” There is nothing that makes these characters stand out and I couldn’t find a hook for my emotions or any empathy for them.

The film’s production values are utilitarian. Talking heads and sequences that feel like late night infomercials, cut together with Amara and her assistant doing things and looking at screens.. As such, the film frequently flips between aspect ratios to accommodate the formats. They play with a variety of formats sometimes it doesn't make sense, especially for the horror sequences where characters are just yelling at screens. Many of the locations are adequate, some look like computer backgrounds and there is a sequence with Doctor Dré that appears to be thrown together on short notice, his wardrobe looks like what he walked in wearing. The visual effects were okay, looking like 90’s computer game animation, especially the shadow people. The physical effects and creature designs by Vincent J. Guastini are interesting and thought it could have been shot more effectively. At one point in the film they ask Amara to focus on a series of images. Of all the different artistic styles and artists, even computer generated images, these didn’t have any gravitas.

I appreciated the sound design and enjoyed the score by composer Alan Howarth. The score covers a lot of the film, the driving force of the film’s atmosphere. The two work in tandem to enhance the film’s scares.

The film is carried by the acting talents of Keith David, Bruce Davison and Selena Anduze. The rest of the cast comes across as a collection of horror character cliches waiting to be murdered. They spend most of the time creating a limited number of facial expressions in an attempt to hold the audience’s interest.

FROM THE SHADOWS feels like an old school horror film bogged down by an attempt to be clever by adapting it for new technologies. As they are not hard fast with their use of the technology format, it might have added a bit more energy if they shot some more traditional styles for the other characters. The film is definitely a better film than many of the genre submissions I review for the festivals, it did take me a few views to get through.

CAST: Keith David, Bruce Davison, Selena Anduze, Jim Thalman, Claire Mack, Ester Tania, Ian Whitt, Ed Lover, Doctor Dré, and T-Money. CREW: Director/Screenplay - Mike Sargent; Screenplay/Producer - Michael Kuciak; Producers - Michael Alden, Stacia Fernandez, Ian Holt, & Tom Polum; Cinematographer - David Landau; Score - Alan Howarth; Editor - Ryan Kelly; Production Designer - Alanis Jarlson; Special Effects Makeup - Vincent J. Guastini; Sound Designer - Cece Hall OFFICIAL: fromtheshadowsfilm.com FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/FilmFTS TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/2w2EFQNnYpE?si=wn3poWc4gQ4ypBrg RELEASE DATE: Premiere in LA Sept 19th & in Theaters Sept 22nd, 2023

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)