David Arnold
When Lily loses her sister due to a car accident, she seeks solace from a local spiritualist. Unfortunately, Lily gets more than she bargained for when the restless spirit of a murder victim "latches" onto her and starts to show herself more and more. Realising that the spirit is actually trying to show her the path to who killed her, Lily becomes involved in a shocking mystery that will lead her face to face with a brutal serial killer who seems to like making puppets of his victims.After watching Casadega, I so wanted to like it and give a pretty good rating, but unfortunately I can't because, well, it's just a pretty boring movie really and I'm being generous enough with my 3-star rating.It doesn't grip you; it doesn't really scare you; and it doesn't have that much of a riveting story. Don't get me wrong - there are a few good moments in the movie but these are ultimately very few and far between.I sometimes look forward to a low-budget movie like this as they can sometimes be better than some of the usual predictable Hollywood serial killer movies. Unfortunately, this is no better THAN the usual predictable Hollywood horror/serial killer movies.The killer's setting was a bit too Hostel-like with the workshop, his overall's and mask, which I didn't really mind, but the menacing effect this look had in Hostel gets lost with him wearing his little pink dress underneath the overalls.Also the deaf character of Lily done a fantastic job of knowing what some people were saying to her, even when she wasn't even looking at them or their lips.All in all, Casadega is a very mediocre serial killer horror and I guess as long as you go into it not expecting much then you should be fine. Just don't be surprised if you feel a bit bored when watching it.
bowmanblue
Judging by some of the online comments about Cassadaga, I was expecting something a bit special out of this indie horror. Sadly, there just didn't seem to be much new here to really stand out.It's okay - that's about it. It's one of those films where a young woman gets mixed up with something spooky. Obviously, no one believes her and she does that thing they do in all horror films where they research it on the internet and then seek out 'professional' help.It's definitely not bad. There are a few pretty sick scenes (nicely executed - no pun intended) for the gore hounds and everyone plays their part pretty well. However, it descends into territory where, if you're an avid horror watcher, you'll have seen it all before - how many times does the heroine knock over the killer and then just run away instead of continuing to batter him to death? Well, you get that sort of thing here.If you can be bothered with another horror film, you could do worse. Sadly there's nothing here that is that memorable or that will lift it out of that vast middle ground of straight-to-DVD horror flicks.
nightwatch4773
Believe it or not I had no idea who this beautiful actress was before this show. It does help that I don't watch TV shows or comedies. To be blunt I think she might be the most beautiful girl I have ever seen and her acting is fantastic. Now to the story which was very good but predicable to say the least. This film does have a twist or two up its sleeve so don't think it is totally transparent. It's sort of a possession film meets a torture porn film meets a ghost story. All aspects were enjoyable but it just couldn't get to the next level with me probably due to my distraction with the pulchritude of the lead starlet.
weemonk
Long time since I've reviewed a film as I tend to use Facebook for that nowadays but this is a little gem that is well worth typing a few paragraphs about.I wasn't sure what to expect from this film and so with expectations low I came away from viewing feeling very satisfied at having watched a bloody good film.I've not heard of the director before and I've not seen the lead actress before now but have done a wonderful job. Basic premise is that a girl moves away after the loss of her sister and ends up at a séance trying to contact her sister. This leads to the vengeful spirit of a murdered girl choosing the lead to try and solve what happened to her.Whilst there are horror aspects, this movie is more a supernatural murder mystery thriller. The direction is excellent and the cinematography mixed with good believable acting make for a highly polished film probably far out reaching its budget. It's not perfect - some of the stronger horror parts concerning the murderer do not sit comfy with the atmosphere given from the rest of the film and sometimes some of the actions/discoveries are all too quick. None of this takes away though from what is a very good story from start to finish. This film could have easily fallen flat by giving in to the slasher/gore elements of the film and could have easily become run of the mill fodder. Thankfully though it does not and for the running time you are pulled into the film and captivated.This is one of those films that will not get a wide audience but deserves one. I'll be recommending to people I know.
AD
