Movie Review: The Damned (2013)

The movie stars Peter Facinelli, Sophia Myles, Nathalia Ramos and Carolina Guerra.

I picked out this movie last night without really knowing what to expect from it. Based on the description, I thought it sounded interesting. However, it also sounded a lot like a movie that could easily be advertised as a horror film but be nothing more than a b-rated soft core porn.

And, to be honest, when we started watching it after the kids went to bed, I was prepared to just turn it off if it wasn't what I was expecting it to be. As it turns out, it was actually a pretty decent movie.

The thing I really liked about this film was the fact it kept things simple. A lot of low-budget horror movies tend to over think things, make the plot more complex than it needs to be and, ultimately, have to over compensate with excess blood and gore or gratuitous sex in an effort to make the movie somewhat watchable. This movie didn't do that. It kept the story simple and was actually somewhat scary as a result of it.

What really made this film entertaining, in my opinion, was the hopeless situation the characters were in. They were in a very isolated location (with no phone service, of course) without transportation. And, since some of the group was hurt and the weather outside was as dangerous as they were facing inside, it wasn't as easy as just leaving the house and running.

Adding to their situation was the fact the spirit they released couldn't be killed, just trapped, and possessed the body of anyone who attempted to destroy it. This resulted in the deaths piling up quickly and meant, in order to survive, they had to be willing to leave one of their own locked up in the basement of the house forever. I had some hunches about how the movie would end. But, because of this scenario, I really wasn't sure how correct I was until the movie was over. That lack of predictability did manage to keep me much more interested than I expected to be.

The movie, to be honest, isn't overly scary. However, while obviously low-budget, it is a decent thriller that does have some intense moments and, overall, is much more interesting of a movie than I expected it to be. I would definitely recommend taking the time to watch it as a result of that.

My Grade: B