Bornless Ones (2017)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Margaret Judson, Devin Goodsell, Michael Johnston
Directed by Alexander Babaev
Influence on a particular film has both its drawbacks, as well as its benefits, and in the case of Alexander Babaev’s demonic-possession/cabin-dwelling, young adults-in-peril flick, Bornless Ones, we see a bit of a reflection in the mirror from moons ago (1981 ringin’ a bell)?
Admittedly so, the filmmakers used The Evil Dead as a sort of template for their latest film, and while some could argue that this would represent somewhat of a derivative tactic, I’ll be one to admit that this was a fairly fun movie, shedding aside the comparison to Raimi’s classic. The movie follows a girl named Emily (Judson), who’s just made a bit of a backhanded purchase – you got it, a cabin DEEP in the woods (smart purchase, young lady) – and if the prospect of becoming an owner of a new piece of property isn’t daunting enough, this chick’s got her share of baggage already. Having just lost both of her parents in a devastating auto accident, she’s now the primary caretaker of her palsy-afflicted brother, Zach (Johnston). So before he’s shuttled off to a place where he can be given the proper care that he needs, Emily and a small gaggle of pals head to the cabin for one last weekend of retrospection, peace, quiet, and fending off some really pissed off demonic spirits. With odd carvings etched into the floorboards and every conceivable issuance of something evil, they’re initially shrugged off – hey, when it’s time to party, to hell with the devil! Only problem is, malevolent spirits usually flock to those in a weakened state…hello, Zach! With the promise of a fresh, healthy start, he allows them to overtake his body, and that’s when the carnage begins.
I know that some purists will take a big ol’ dump on this one strictly because it has an “identity crisis,” but once you settle in and give this one a good look, you’ll see that aside from its downfalls (moronic thought patterns and some less-than-concrete-performances), the movie does really try hard to convince us that this is not a piggybacking attempt, but a tribute to one of the greats. Lovers of gore will NOT have room to complain, as there is plenty of the crimson getting splashed around, and overall the movie does try to distance itself as its own. I’ll advise fans of gore and unknowing adolescents getting slaughtered in a woodsy setting to park their buns in a comfy seat, crack open their favorite adult beverage, and just enjoy this one for what it is. The film hits VOD services on February 10th for those wiling to give this a look.
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Film
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