If you’ve read my reviews for some time then you know I’m
not a fan of what is known as “found footage” films. For me it usually involves
jumpy camera shots that add nothing to the suspense being filmed and just makes
me nauseous. That being said on occasion a truly good movie in this genre comes
along, but not often. That can’t be said of THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN, one of
the scariest and disturbing movies I’ve seen in some time.
The basis for the film revolves around a grad student named
Mia (Michelle Ang) who is shooting her thesis around the life of a victim of
Alzheimer’s disease, Deborah Logan (Jill Larson). Mia has contacted Deborah
through her daughter Sarah (Anne Ramsey), dedicated to her mother but dealing
with problems of her own. One of those problems is finances which will improve
with the money Mia is paying her to film Deborah’s story.
Mia and her team set the house up with cameras so they can
monitor Deborah in every area of the house as the disease takes its toll on
her. When they begin those effects will be long term and take some time to
manifest as Deborah is in the early stages. But things aren’t always what they
seem.
Where most Alzheimer’s patients deal with things like memory
loss or short term forgetfulness Deborah has symptoms unlike most patients. She
is prone to rages that result in battles with those trying to help her.
Eventually as the movie progresses she also begins to do things like have a
rash appear on her body which in turn causes her to pull strips of skin from
her body. As these symptoms become more alarming she’s taken to the hospital
rather than allowed to stay home. Those days have her under observation but she
eventually returns to the home she loves.
While we watch the deterioration of Deborah we also get a
glimpse into the life of Sarah at the same time. We learn about her personal
life, about her hopes to one day sell the house and return to her own place.
While she continues to drink throughout the film it’s never quite to the point
that it affects her taking care of her mother. But there is something that’s
always there beneath the surface that we’re not privy to at first.
Back in her home Deborah begins to show more signs of being
not quite there. Footage shot with stationary cameras show her moving faster
than seems possible with the time stamp on display. Sleepwalking leads to her
doing incredibly strange things like hammering nails into the window panes to
nail the windows shut, windows that are later flung open as if the nails were
not there. She begins walking the grounds of the property in the middle of the
night seeking something but never quite saying what. When Sarah begins to
understand what she might be looking for the movie takes a turn into a whole different
plane. At that time we begin to wonder is Deborah truly dealing with
Alzheimer’s disease or is something more deadly, more sinister at work here.
Trust me when I say you don’t want to know the answer but will watch anyway to
find out.
The movie works because of one simple thing, it seems real.
Rather than have the non-stop jumping camera work seen in so many we fluctuate
between that and the surveillance cameras that are picking up what is
happening. The combination of the two along with most scenes being shot in a
darkened room with nothing more than the light on the camera for illumination
makes for some truly skin crawling sequences.
As the film moves into the final chapter it truly becomes
frightening in a way that can’t be described without revealing far too much of
the story. The camerawork here combined with some fantastic effects make for
images that will stick with you long after the DVD
is taken out of the player. Add with that performances from all involved that
make you feel this is real and not just a movie and you have a disturbing movie
that qualifies as true horror.
I can’t recommend this movie enough. For me, it is rare that
I find a movie that will make me jump at times and make me feel uneasy. I’ve
seen tons of horror films over the years and few of them have that effect on
me. This one made my skin crawl at times, made me jump more than once and has
left images in my brain that will remain there for some time. The thing is
that’s all meant in a good way. To be affected like that by a movie doesn’t
happen often and it does that from start to finish. There is no doubt this is
one that will stay on my shelf to be watched when I need a good scare or when I
need to scare someone else. I dare you to watch it with the lights off.
Click here to order.
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