Immersive experience that makes you part of the plot.
Incantation is a 2022 found footage horror movie directed by Kevin Ko, loosely inspired by a real life case that happened in Kaohsiung in 2005. That said, the real events give more of a framework for the plot, and nothing that actually happened in the movie was related to real events. Apparently, it’s not easy to find any truly reliable info about it in English.Incantation might have one of the best opening sequences of any horror I have ever seen. By directly addressing the viewer, presenting the optical illusions in the context of the power of will and personal framing, and by asking the viewers for help - it’s hard not to feel the immediate immersion. Breaking of the 4th wall is an aspect that comes back quite a number of times during the movie, which made me far more engaged than I initially thought I would be.
What about the plot? We are presented with two different timelines - present time of Ronan trying to gain the custody of her daughter and the bond with her, and the past timeline explaining the fear and ritual she was a part of a few years ago. As much as it’s a horror, it’s also a drama - showcasing the variety of emotions a parent can feel in relation to their child, and the actions they are willing to take to help them.
Are the scares actually scary? Truth to be told, the few jump scares I’ve got were a bit disappointing? The core value of the show is the eerie atmosphere, which was built in a perfect way. From the start we know, the plot is leading to some awful events, so even the happy and warm moments between the mother and daughter feel bitter.
Incantation is a movie that obviously cares about the details of world building. The Buddha-Mother, hand gestures associated with it, chant, symbols and rituals were well designed and planned - created a cohesive picture of that fictional spiritual belief. That’s why, even though I knew it’s not real, it was impossible not to feel affected by what's happening on screen - especially during the “directly addressing the audience” moments. The minor detail I was especially impressed by, was the use of the after-image closer to the end of the movie. Small, clever trick that felt like the last nail in the coffin for me.
The acting was perfect. While all the adults did an amazing job, with Ina Tsai portraying the conflicted emotions, fear, desperation and hope in a clear and realistic manner, the one that surprised me the most was the little girl Huang Sin-ting who played Dodo. Not only was her performance great, it was amazing to see a child act like a child in a horror movie. Why they always try to present the kids as demons incarnated with cold and detached behavior is beyond me.
Any flaws? I do believe the movie was slightly too long. Keeping it around 90 minutes instead of 110 would be preferable for the pacing to feel more tight. While I understand it was important to present the relationship between Ruo Nan and Dodo in great detail, the moments diluted the tension quite a few times. Personally, I could do without a few jump scares, especially the “cheaper” looking ones - the movie just did not need them.
Best to watch for scares: alone, evening/night, headphones on, no distractions.
Best to watch for the analysis: buddy watch, talking about the symbolism as the movie progresses, trying to predict the outcome.
Trigger warning; trypophobia, child neglect/child harm, body horror, gore.
The movie has some rather… gross moments. Also, might be too much for people who strongly believe in the supernatural - I can see it messing up with someone a bit.
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This review may contain spoilers
Damn good horror. I didn't yell at the characters too much.
As the tag indicates, there's some gore. Personally, it just makes me wanna gag so I just fast-forwarded through those. Blood and guts just don't do it for me, sorry.The atmosphere though? Nailed it. It's not a 'chills down my spine' effect. It was more of a dread that seeped under my skin and clung to my bones. Even when the settings were more comforting, lively, or even mundane, I was tense. They did well in keeping that consistent.
The usual horror tropes are here but I don't mind them as long as it's executed well. Characters who have never seen a single horror movie in their life? Check. Flickering lights? Check. A protagonist who can't catch a break? Triple check.
Moral of the story: Turn the car around. Go home. Live a long, boring but curse-less life.
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A great found footage horror film for the fall!
With an intriguing introduction, use of clever music and visuals, the movie starts strong. The backstory of the mystic religion and secretive ritual which was conducted by the residents of the village was also very interesting. From the beginning one could see the cleverly placed inklings of the curse among the practitioners.Off on a tangent here, but I found the lack of respect for other people’s religion quite annoying. If someone says don’t desecrate our altar or respect our idol then follow their instructions or just scram! By the end of the first hour I was supremely annoyed at the trio of ghostbusters who didn’t show a modicum of intelligence, or survival instinct. They were mostly the instruments for spreading the horror and the next hour just reconfirmed my beliefs.
BTW splendid acting by the main female lead and the child. The lead portrayed the emotions really well and the atmosphere created was truly immersive, be it the past or the present. Even the child did an awesome portal of being confused, neglected, loved and cursed. Wide array of emotions here!
The cinematography & use of colours though not as lush as “The Medium” was believable and pulled the audience into the story. The story is peppered with a whole lot of jump scares though the gore was a bit too much for me. The fear factor is definitely high and the BGM tied in perfectly with the eeriness of the horror story.
I found the horror to be more of a creepy feeling that builds up to the finale rather than a classic American horror film, and what a great finale. Finally a movie that has a fitting finale! I loved how they retained consistency with the storytelling through use of psychology. The imparting of a particular message to the audience by presenting the same symbol & prayer at regular intervals was also very unique. The breaking of the fourth wall was vital to good storytelling.
Now as one of the reviewers mentioned previously, this movie should have a trigger warning for trypophobia (it’s not obvious but for those who suffer from it, it’s glaring) as well as child neglect. Another con for me was the constant switching of the two timelines. The yo-yoing back and forth gave me whiplash besides confusing the hell out of me in the first hour.
All in all, this was a great horror film peppered with just enough scares and a good creepy background story. While the movie could do with a tighter editing and shorter duration, the overall horror was good enough to deserve an 8 acc to me. And that’s the highest score yet this year for a horror film.
Recommended for - creepiness, jump scares, mystic rituals/superstitious beliefs and lots of gory visuals.
Not recommended for - slick/fast buildups, trypophobics and people sensitive to blood, child neglect or whiplash.
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When I found out that this film was from Asia, I thought I could relate to what the film would tell, but apparently not, this was like another horror film about people who came to a cult, then ran away while bringing a curse, and had to return to the cult (to what they thought) to end the curse. I'm not too concerned about it, though.
In my opinion, as a Found Footage film, this film has a decent execution, has a few tense moments that make goosebumps and shock, but there are shortcomings, like this film that I don't think has an adequate atmospheric foundation to supply help to make horror sequences feel impactful, relying solely on jumpscare to raise the levels of horror; sometimes this film also has a shot that does not come from Renon's camera and it is annoying.
I heard many who compared this film with The Medium, but honestly I prefer The Medium, which has a relateable material for me who live in Southeast Asia and succeed in providing authentic despair experience.
Instead of The Medium, I remembered Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin while I watch this film. The thing that makes me remember PA:NOK is the characters accompanies a character to go to the village of the character who turns out to be a cult nest; the creature that is worshiped lives in somekind of hole (PA:NOK - bottom of a pit; this film: tunnel); PA:NOK is more open that they use 3rd person POV which in my opinion are more acceptable than giving unclear shots that are not from Renon's camera.
Not bad, especially maybe for those who have never watched this kind of film probably would think this film is very good. That's it. Thanks.
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Immersive
The movie relies on the element of the dark and suprise as its main source of horror and it works.The POV is shown from a vlog camera and it really makes you immersed and feel the horror through the screen but imo it also made me heavily dizzy at times, and quite frankly frustrated.
The story is scary, with eerie surroundings that go on throughout, and occasional gore, but I wasn’t on the edge for the entire movie, mostly on some tense parts.
70% of the film is spent in the dark which isn’t very fun but the movie is okay. The constant switch of time makes the story hard to follow and could have been done more efficiently tho I do understand why it switches back and forth.
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Horror modern, dengan visual bagus
Horror ini menurutku unik ya, karena menampilkan sudut pandang orang pertama dengan menggunakan lensa mata webcam yang dia bawa, ini membuat cerita dan visualnya menjadi seolah-olah nyata ; kita seperti sedang berada di sana dan ikut bersama sang tokoh utama mengeksplor cerita yang ada di film ini. Walaupun tidak menampilkan "bentuk menyeramkan" dari hantu-hantu, namun musik dan scene-nya sangat menyeramkan, horror seperti ini menurutku lebih menarik ya karena "tanpa" bentuk-bentuk menyeramkan tapi tetap terasa menyeramkan. Scene difokuskan pada "kutukan" dan beberapa kejadian mistis di sekitar tokoh utama, ada beberapa bentuk visual menjijikan namun masih masuk akal. Cerita-nya menurutku agak berbelit-belit ya karena alurnya maju mundur, saya sarankan menontonnya dua kali atau minimal fahami karakter secara mendetail, anda harus mengenali para tokoh seperti "ini siapa, dia siapa, dan siapa mereka?" agar anda bisa faham dan lebih bisa memaknai cerita horror ini. Menurutku film yang satu ini rekomended ya. Silahkan menonton untuk merasakan sensasi film horror terbaik Taiwan di masa-nya ini.Was this review helpful to you?
