Where to start with this one. I know that sounds a little ominous and I don't mean it to be that way. I enjoyed this movie but I feel like it had the potential to be more than it was, which is kind of funny considering this is the feature length adaptation of the original short film. I'll start by giving the synopsis from IMDB:
After the death of his mother, Lucas, a loner who lives in a rundown home with his brother Tom, regularly seeks solace in the nearby woods. With his only "friends" being a group of female bullies, he keeps to himself most of the time. After a strange encounter with an inhuman monster, Lucas begins to withdraw from others. The two reach a tentative trust and the boy is swept up in a series of primal adventures. A bizarre friendship is born. When violence and carnage begin to follow the witch, Lucas must try and stop his new friend from killing again, but is it her he really needs to stop? Meanwhile, Anna, an outsider in their small town, becomes romantically involved with Tom and grows increasingly concerned about the welfare of Tom's little brother. Plus, Sheriff John Thurston, has a history with Tom and Lucas' deceased mother and feels a responsibility to look out for the well-being of her orphaned children.
The main thing that I found really interesting about this movie is the monster/witch, not because it's a monster but rather the idea the monster represents. It is my theory that the monster is actually supposed to be an egregore rather than an actual creature. Here is a brief description of what an egregore is:
An egregore is an autonomous thought form or psychic entity created when two or more people are focused on the same idea or image. Thoughtforms are purposely developed to serve the aim of a group or individual. They’re also created organically when people who are not necessarily connected in a formal group focus on the same ideal or image, like entertainment characters that go viral and become icons. (from The Power of Egregores by Diane Fraser)
The monster displays superhuman abilities like vanishing into thin air and magical powers and we never get a real good look at the monster's face, which if you're familiar with horror films seems an odd move. If you've got a monster in your movie, you want people to see it. The only thing we learn about the monster is some local legend about a witch who lives in an abandoned building. The lack of background about the monster does make it seem more mysterious which adds to the creepiness of it however, it is the only situation where more exposition is not needed as this adds to the idea that the monster was manifested rather than pre-existing.
So, Lucas discovers the monsters hideout and then the monster itself and it appears to attack him but he wakes up in the woods seeming no worse for wear. Lucas and the monster start to build this relationship of trust and mutual respect, they are both outcasts in their community and they bond over that. It also becomes about protection as Lucas will hide the monster from others and the monster will harm those that harm Lucas. This is where the idea of the egregore comes in.
The monsters mere existence is based on the local legend, that seems to have been fed into for decades by the local populace. Once the relationship with Lucas is established, a link is made and the monster starts to act out the primal angers and frustrations of Lucas, much like an egregore. The problem with egregores is that if they are given enough power, i.e. decades of people thinking about them, they can become sentient beings with their own thoughts and agendas. Thus, the murder and mayhem insues.
So, my biggest problem with this film is that I feel like a lot of it was rushed. With a run time of only 86 minutes I think more could have been fleshed out with a full two hours run time. Questions like: what happened to their parents or rest of family, why is Lucas doing research on local legends, what's with the bully girl gang, why does the sheriff seem so apathetic when he claims to be a family friend; none of these are answered so you're left feeling confused and not sure what to think about anything.
I really did enjoy this movie but it seems to lack any real gripping emotion, the bite of this film doesn't really have any teeth which is why the anti-bullying message at the end kind of falls flat. It pops up on screen as we fade to black for the end credits and after I read it I felt like, "This movie was about bullying and the potentially harmful effects of bullying? What?" This is why I feel like a longer run time would have been beneficial. Some of the gaps could have been filled in, making the anti-bullying message clear enough that the text at the end may not have even been needed.
Lucas is definitely the focus of this story and is beautifully acted by August Maturo, honestly everyones acting was great, they all elicit the emotional response out of the viewer they were supposed to. All in all, I would give this a 3 out of 5 stars. Definitely inspires some interesting thoughts on the nature of bullying, especially when coupled with loss and grief. Worth checking out if you're looking for something a little different.
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