Pyewacket

“When you’re dealing with demons, be careful what you wish for. In this ultra-unsettling occult nightmare, teenage Leah (Nicole Muñoz, Once Upon A Time) finds solace from the recent death of her father — and from her strained relationship with her mother (Laurie Holden, The Walking Dead) — by dabbling in the dark arts. It all seems like harmless fun at first … until an argument leads Leah to do the unthinkable: put a death curse on her mother. Leah immediately regrets her decision, but it may be too late: An evil presence known as Pyewacket has risen — and threatens to destroy both mother and daughter. Backcountry director Adam MacDonald creates hair-raising tension and a complex mother-daughter dynamic in this frightening fable about our darkest desires come to life.”

Pyewacket opens as we meet Leah, a teenager who, as well as her group of friends, is interested in the occult, as she gets one of her favorite books signed by author Rowen Dove (James McGowan) who warns her of the power of rituals and to be careful of what she believes in. Despite the recent loss of her father, things seem to be going well for Leah, until her mother informs her of her decision to move away due to the painful memories associated with the house. In normal teenage fashion, Leah doesn’t take the news well and storms off to her room, listening to satanic music and searching her books for some dark magic method to make everything better.

Leah and her mother move to the new house with the agreement that her mother will drive her to and from school several hours away each day so she can finish out the school year. The increased stress of driving every day combined with Leah’s poor attitude causes her mother to snap one day, taking out her frustrations on Leah, telling her she can’t move on from her father because she sees his face every time she looks at her. Understandably angry, Leah storms out into the woods and in a moment of blind rage searches her Occult Primer for the best way to handle the situation, putting a death curse on her mother. After completing the ritual and heading home, Leah’s mom is overcome with guilt for the things she said, doing everything she can to apologize and make amends. Leah immediately regrets her decision, but hopes that what she did was just something in a book and not real. As strange things begin to happen around the house, Leah must figure out a way to undo the curse before it’s too late!

Pyewacket, the latest IFC Midnight released film boasts some pretty impressive statements before watching the film. From the producers of The Witch and the fact that the film was banned in two countries raises the bar pretty high from the get-go. The film is indeed creepy and very well made, with some nice artistic methods used which highlight the cinematography. What horror films have proven recently is that you don’t need jump scares to be effective, with films like The Witch, and most recently, Hereditary, these are slow burns that build tension to the breaking point and fills the audience with a real sense of dread throughout the film. Pyewacket follows this formula and for the most part it works, however, it does lack a few key components to make it as effective as the ones that came before it.

Although you are filled with this sense of dread for many parts of the film, there simply isn’t enough justification for it, and as the film progresses and nothing happens, that dread begins to diminish even when you feel like something is finally going to happen. There are so many instances where I felt like a sequence of events should have ended one way to capitalize on the build in tension, but those moments are simply ignored and forgotten about, and the film continues. These missed opportunities only serve to frustrate the viewer and never deliver on the promise of a good horror sequence.

Laurie Holden and Nicole Muñoz pretty much drive the entire film and do a great job with what they’re given. It is a bit of a stretch to think this teenage girl who doesn’t look at all Goth, or whatever new social archetype best describes it, is so quickly seduced by the occult that because of one argument with her mom decides to put a death curse on her. Leah is portrayed as quiet and reserved, not nearly as outspoken as her friends. It just seems out of character for her to resort to something like that so quickly, or even at all. At times, the writing leaves a bit to be desired as well. Dialogue such as: “Do you think our parents will always be our parents?” will give you eye strain from all the rolling going on.

Even though there are some really good moments of the film, Pyewacket doesn’t deliver anything new or unique to the genre. Fans of the aforementioned films will no doubt be disappointed with the lack of creativity in the story, despite the beautiful shots and cinematography.

Video

Pyewacket is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.40:1. The transfer is free of defects providing a good balance of color throughout. The palate seems a bit washed out, which is a nice touch that really works in favor for the atmosphere created; the woods, the cabin, all are even more effective settings thanks to this.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This track is also free of any defects or issues, providing a good balance between the surrounds and center channel ensuring clarity in the dialogue throughout the film. The surrounds are utilized in an effective manner as well, delivering some great atmospheric effects and nature/woods sounds that play to the mood of the sequence.

Special Features

Very little extras on this disc. Here’s what you’ll get:

• Making-Of Featurette
• Theatrical Trailer

Pyewacket is modeled after some great films and does provide some effective sequences of horror but fails to deliver on more than one level. Visually, it’s a beautiful film with a lot of potential, but that’s where it ended for me.