Written and directed by Colin and Cameron Cairnes. Starring David Dastmalchian, Ingrid Torelli, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, Fayssal Bazzi, Josh Quong Tart and Michael Ironside (as the narrator).
Plot: A late-night show films live on Halloween night in 1977, inviting a young girl onto the show who is allegedly possessed.
The movie opens like a documentary about Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian), a successful late-night, variety type, talk show host. He’s never been quite as popular as Johnny Carson, but he’s a happy man. Until his wife, Madeleine (Haig), falls ill and dies rather quickly of lung cancer. Jack even disappears for a while after this. There’s even some rumors that he’s part of a cult. When he finally returns, his ratings have taken a hit.
In order to increase viewership, Jack creates a live occult-themed Halloween special. He invites Christou (Bazzi), a psychic medium on, as his first guest. He connects a son and brother who has passed on, to his mother and sister sitting in the audience. Then he begins to receive messages from someone calling herself “Minnie”, and his nose begins to bleed. His second guest, Carmichael Haig (Bliss), a former magician and current skeptic, calls Christou a liar. Even after Jack admits that Minnie is the name he used for his late wife, Carmichael insists that Jack must have told him at some earlier point in time and that it proves nothing.
Jack’s last guests are a Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Gordon) and the young girl she’s just written a book about, Lilly (Torelli). Lilly is the lone survivor of a cult that committed mass suicide. She is also, apparently, possessed. Against June’s advice, he wants to speak to the demon within her. A demon she’s named Mr. Wriggles because he can “wriggle in and out of her brain”. Spoiler, not spoiler, Mr. Wriggles comes out to play.
Now, I don’t feel bad for Jack, obviously, as he’s instigating all of it. I don’t have any love for Carmichael since he continues to be a piece of shit the entire time. And I don’t care much for June, who is hesitant to do anything involving Mr. Wriggles citing her need to take care of Lilly. But if she was really worried about Lilly, Lilly wouldn’t be on the damn show! Ugh! The only one I really feel bad for at all (aside from Lilly who is a victim first and foremost) is Gus (Auteri), Jack’s sidekick. He actually believes the crap they are doing could come back to bite them in the ass. And oh how right he is.
These people make bad choices at every turn. It’s realistic though. People can often be this arrogant and this sure of themselves. Because of this, there is little Freddy Claws. People don’t cooperate well at all. The acting is beyond excellent though, as are the special effects. The story is original and certifiably creepy. The deaths are very cool. And I loved the opening. After that though, there are some downsides. More for DJ than myself, but neither of us loved the ending. DJ felt that the director didn’t really know how to end it at all, so he chose to end it 3 or 4 times instead. I can’t completely disagree, however I was more concerned that it has been done before and I wanted more.
Overall, DJ thought it was a competent conversation starter, but not a great movie as a whole. He thinks too much of the story was up for debate and should have had a more concrete statement to make. I thought it was crazy, but enjoyed it thoroughly. I would have loved it outright if it had had a different ending.
My score: 74. DJ’s score: 48.
He’s all wax, no wick.
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