Jessabelle Movie Review

Cast: Sarah Snook, Mark Webber, Joelle Carter, Amber Stevens

Direction: Kevin Greutert

Genre: Horror

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

 

Story: An accident leaves Jessie (Sarah Snook) wheelchair-bound. With nowhere to go, in order to recuperate, she moves into her childhood home, where her mother died years back. However, her hope to find solace vanishes as supernatural occurrences haunt her, making her dig deep into her past. Confirming the mysterious presence in her house are a few video tapes, recorded by Jessie's mother. What do they say? 

 

 

 Review: Have you ever been scared of yourself when alone? Atmospheric and tense, Kevin Greutert plays with your mind using the theme of loneliness to the best of his advantage. If your idea of bliss is spending some time alone in a cosy countryside cottage in the woods, overlooking the lake, Jessabelle is bound to change that.

 

Smartly paced, the film builds up the suspense in a quiet, unhurried manner, thus letting the uncertainty of the situation evoke fear. Jessabelle is clearly not your typical horror film. In fact, the lack of activity, dialogue and standard scares initially make it look like an arty thriller which manages to keep you intrigued. Scenes involving the mirrors and a lake in particular give you the creeps.

As Jessie plays hide-and-seek with an evil spirit having an unknown motive, you crave to solve the mystery. Unfortunately, an underwhelming climax and a convoluted back-story fail to live up to your expectations. It looks like the director deviated from the original plot in order to conveniently end his film.

Sarah Snook acts well but pouts way too much for someone who's in grave danger. Mark Webber is likeable.

With its subtle scares, Jessabelle starts out really well. It's the abrupt, illogical ending that spoils the fun. However, if you like unconventional horror films, you can still watch this one on a lonely afternoon.