Customer Reviews

Believers [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I loved this movie. I found it to be very well researched for it's content of Santeria and Brujeria. As someone who grew up around these religions I appreciated the authenticity. This was a scary, suspenseful and edge-of-your-seat, very well made movie.

It's like that saying, sometimes real life is scarier than fiction. Although, this is not one of those "based on a true story" type of movie, this movie was true to life in a lot of ways. Its' content reflected upon 2 very old religions that are very much alive and well in the U.S. and other parts of the world today.

Never underestimate the power of mind and intention (for good or bad) or the power of the universe.

The Believers has that strong voodoo/magic/power vibe that gets me everytime. In a normally hokey genre The Believers stands out for one reason...realism.

You might say to yourself, how can a film about cult ritualism have strong realism? Well let me tell you... the writers of this film definately did their homework and the philosophies, desires and methods of the "cult" in this movie are almost idential to groups that exist out there today.

The film is well acted, moves along at a good clip and is by no means predictable. If this brief snippet has peaked your interest I suggest a rental, some popcorn and a fun night at home with friends.

This is a pretty scarey movie! The fact that it is a little old does not detract because this could happen anytime in any decade.

In a nutshell; A Father and his young son deal with shattering events in their lives and then are pulled into terrifying dangerous world of cults and ritualistic murder. Will they both come through all this alive?

More, if the above looks exciting:

The father is a police psychologist and there are some strange killings with horrible cult like killings. The father is deemed thru his job to frame a profile of this killer so that they can catch the killer.

As the movie moves forward, things begin to happen that keep you on the edge of your seat and delve you into the strange freakish world of cults and sacrificial killings. Soon this father and his son are pulled into the killer(s) world closer and closer and it will affect them both for the rest of their lives if they live through it!

Shocking surprise of an ending but I won't give any telling details of the movie away in case you want to see this and haven't yet seen the movie on cable or reg. tv. I would rent it before buying because it's a pretty disturbing movie but great if you like really freaky scarey movies.

If you liked Angel heart, you'll love this film. I liked it but it bothered me and I couldn't sleep well for several nights after seeing it the first time.

Of all the occult thillers that I have seen, this one is my most favorite. Not only does this intelligent horror film deliver the goods for nightmares, it carries a large cast of some very fine characters.Martin Sheen, Jimmy Smits, Robert Loggia and Helen Shaver are exceptonally good in their performances. However, the one that will stand out the most is the little known Malick Bowens. Bowens gives the film's villainous role such a demonic prescience, that it could perhaps scare Old Ned himself. This is a great film for those who do not spook easily and/or those with strong stomachs. However, it would be wise to forbid anyone under 15 to view this film because as I said before, it does not skimp on the details of ritualistic murders and supernatural occurences.

"The Believers" is going to offend a lot of people, and with good reason. The movie portends to be about the "cult" of Santería and the dangers it poses to non-believers; what the movie shows has little or nothing to do with Santería. To give credit where it is due, one of the characters, on viewing the carnage, says that this is not Santería, it's brujería, which is Spanish for witchcraft; it's closer to the mark, but even brujería, as far as I have read, doesn't make a practice out of the ritual sacrifice of small children. Santería itself is a hardly a cult; it's a religion practiced or believed in by more than 100 million people in the Americas (it's closely related to Voodoo in Haiti and Candomble in Brazil); it's a syncretism between the Yoruba gods and the Roman Catholic saints, and it does not involve shedding human blood.

That said, "The Believers" is an intriguing film about a police psychiatrist who comes to New York City with his small son after the death of his wife in a freak accident. He is called by the NYPD after one of their own apparently goes berserk, raving about "they" have his badge and "they" can get anyone. "They" turn out to be a group of lunatics who think they can take over society through their own twisted version of what they call Santería, once they have achieved the ritual slaughter of three small boys by the summer solstice. They have already killed two; guess whom they are targeting as the third?

There's a lot of blood and gore as the cult proves very adept at inducing everyone who gets in their way to commit unpleasant forms of suicide; the psychiatrist finds to his horror that one of his own in-laws is deeply involved in the cult after having sacrified his own young son, and after managing to rescue his child from being the cult's third sacrifice, the psychiatrist leaves New York behind and retreats to the country, only to find that Santería has followed him. The ending is improbable, to say the least, but if you're interested in a movie with a lot of twists and turns, this one is fun to watch. Be warned, however, that its basic premise is flawed, and the film casts a serious and unwarranted slur on the religion of Santería.

Judy Lind

who cares about santaria and how true it was protrayed? not me. The movie is about boys being murdered by a cult for sacrifies that will give them power. Fast moving with very good acting. keeps you on edge. The boy does very good acting and the movie is very entertaining. Wanna get scared and have a good movie to watch on Friday night? Well this is it. Does not have all the blood and guts of a slasher movie. But plot moves foward at a good click and I liked it. Not very expensive and would make a good addition to your video library. Thumbs up, own it today.

The impact of this movie is a combination of shock and acceptance of actual beliefs. The excellent acting punctuates it. If ever a film deserved to be on DVD this is it!

Scary, good thriller about a dangerous faction of Santeria, a Latin-American based religion which believes in animal sacrifice, which here is offerring children as sacrifices in New York. Martin Sheen is very good as a police psychologist who moves to New York with his son after his wife's bizarre death, and must deal with the very strange doings occuring around him. The fine cast includes a younger Jimmy Smits, Robert Loggia, Helen Shaver, and Harley Cross. Director John Schlesinger provides good shocks, and good the movie has a fine late 80's New York feel, even though most of it was filmed in Toronto!

I saw this movie about 12 years ago when I was in high school. I have remembered it since. This movie will freak you out. It is spooky - especially for the time when it was produced.

I saw this movie when it came out in theaters and I have never forgotten it. I became a big fan of Martin Sheen's after viewing this film. Truly one of my favorites!!