Unbidden, The (2016)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Tamilyn Tomita, Julia Nickson, Elizabeth Sung
Directed by Quentin Lee
Sometimes the fringes of the supernatural shouldn’t be crossed, even if it potentially means achieving harmony in one’s life… I mean, we’re talking about pissing off the dead here, people!
The Unbidden, from director Quentin Lee, takes the audience inside the home of a woman (Tomita), and for you 80’s film buffs, she was the uber-cutie that Ralph Macchio fought to defend the honor of in The Karate Kid Part II, but I’m dating myself here – just wanted to provide a frame of reference.
So, back to the story: The woman in question, known as Lauren, is a mystery writer who depends on some fairly heavy doses of medication in order to cope with a tragedy some years ago, leaving her seriously deprived of sleep and behind the 8-ball as far as production is concerned. She then calls upon one of her BFFs (Amy Hill) to stop on by and perform an abrupt seance, and when she picks up on some frightening otherworldly activity, the fun and games are over and it’s then bandied about that MAYBE an exorcism is the right way to go. Now, to me, it would mean “get out of the damn house,” but these ladies are determined to corral this problem and return things to normal… there’s their first mistake.
The film merely uses the horror essence as a backbone here to a story that really delves into Lauren and her friend’s lives, both past and present – hell, there’s even the inclusion of an armed intruder to deal with – if the spirits weren’t causing enough trouble!
What unfolds over the course of the film is a display in love, loyalty, ultimate betrayal, and at the end of it all, terror on a number of levels, not just the angry, malevolent specter-type. Lee even tosses in a fairly decent dosage of possession to round out this slow-burning chiller, and while the scares come in small bites, it’s the overall mood and feeling of trepidation that makes this film tick. When you really delve deep into this magnified character study, you’ll see that the presence of angry revenants truly isn’t a match for women scorned… now I know there’s a well-traveled saying about something like that – ah well, I’m sure I’ll think of it sooner or later.
In any event, The Unbidden really has the looks and feels of a Lifetime Network movie of the week gone astray, but believe me when I tell you there’s terror aplenty when you peel the layers back. Give it a look when it becomes available.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
