Customer Reviews

Chronicle of the Raven

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A no-name cast surrounds aging Faye Dunaway in "Chronicle of the Raven", a horror film that appears psychological in the beginning but shows as it unfolds that is it pretty mainstream stuff.

Dunaway is the aging matriarch residing in a South American mansion that granddaughter Jennifer (Gina Phillips) is determined to sell. After Jenny's twin sister (the owner) dies mysteriously, she moseys on down to Buenos Aires to inherit the place and sell it. Another aging relative, an aunt, and Granny Dunaway reside there. Granny doesn't want to give the place up.

Weird stuff begins happening during Jennifer's first night in the place. She begins having nightmares about a bird pecking away at her innards. Then she awakens to realistic dreams of being tied in bed while a raven chews on her guts.

The whole thing is an obvious paramour to the Prometheus legend -- Prometheus defied the gods by doing the people's duty and, for that, he was chained to the side of a mountain where an eagle would come every day and eat out his guts.

I thought the treatment kind of hokey when the flick opened. However, the atmospheric film noiry treatment inside the old house mated to the otherworldly characters, creaky floors and stairs, and oddball goings on, kept me involved from the beginning. It ganis a new more interesting dimension when an old man, a caretaker at the cemetary where Jenny's sister lies in state, comes calling and successfully tells Jennifer what's going on in her head at night.

"Chronicle of the Raven" won't go down as one of the great horror films of history but it has enough going on -- including a very sinister characterization by Dunaway -- that you'll stay with it to the end. The movie fits in the midrange of horror films and is good fare for a Thursday night at home with the TV.

Although in the first couple of minutes the obviously low budget of "Chronicle Of The Raven" (aka "Jennifer's Shadow") and the pitfalls it threatens to create threaten to derail the movie, it very quickly becomes so absorbing that any technical shortcomings are forgotten. A young woman played by Gina Phillips arrives in Argentina to claim the house willed to her by her recently deceased twin sister, dead of the same wasting/vitality-draining disease that seems to haunt much of the family like a curse and that previously claimed the twins's parents. Currently residing in the house are Phillips's estranged grandmother (played by Faye Dunaway), a housekeeper, and Phillips's aunt Emma, who's currently succumbing to the same malady. Phillips begins to exhibit what may be early signs of this ailment, but that may be the least of her worries, as coming with this 'family curse' seem to be all the trappings of hauntings and supernatural manifestations. The thrust of the movie is delving deeper and deeper into the strange and increasingly frightening nature of this bizarre bane. A great horror mystery similar in atmosphere to the original "Amityville Horror", "Trauma", "Seven Days To Live" and "The Omen", helped along by strong performances - especially Phillips and Hilda Bernard in a small but important role as her aunt Emma. Once again, the poor ol' raven - in the tradition of Poe, King, et al. - gets cast in a sinister role; it works well but just to be different couldn't somebody make a horror movie one of these days where a raven or bat or something gets to play a good guy, er, good critter? At least the little feathered fellow gets to star in some great tales, both written and filmed.

Shot entirely in Buenos Aires-Agentina (my natal city, though there's no actual clue to the fact unless you've been born there)with a mixed cast of american and argie actors, this is a very entertained horror flick in the vein of Poe's/Lovecraft's. In spite of being a typical b-movie with a central character played by a declining famous actress (Faye Dunaway) to up the ante a little, the plot is very good and will keep you on edge till the very (and utterly surprising) ending.The guy below who criticizes Duillio Marzio's accent and praises Niclas Pauls's has evidently never bothered to study a second language. I was amazed at this veteran argie actor's perfomance and apalled at Nicholas Pauls's. The picture is bright and sharp, the movie is superbly edited in a local studio by a young talent called Pablo Ratto, whose labor enhances the final result to no little amount. Picture is a refreshing 4:3, which us owners of conventional TVs are grateful for. Sound is clean and strong with a 5.1 option, unusual on this kind of budget films. There are some minor flaws to the sound and picture, though; dialogue goes noticeably louder during the last 2 chapters and picture shifts from color-saturated to somewhat washed down on some parts when the scenes change but I guess it'll be only me who'll notice that.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDABLE !!!

<strong>Jennifer's Shadow</strong> (Daniel de la Vega and Pablo Pares, 2004)

This is another one of those movies where, when I read the comments on IMDB, I weep for the generation below mine's cultural intelligence. Along with the usual "how original!" comments that really aren't sarcastic and the "worst movie EVAR" comments, I found a real gem: someone asking about films with a similar atmosphere. Which means at least one person who watched this movie has no clue that <em>Suspiria</em> even exists. (I'll give the other guys a pass in just missing all the similarities, I guess.) For <em>Jennifer's Shadow</em>, also released under the title <em>Chronicle of the Raven</em> (presumably for more publicity, though given that as I write this the movie has 289 votes on IMDB, I don't think it worked), is about as close to being a <em>Suspiria</em> knockoff as possible without de la Vega and Pares, working from a script by P. J. Pettiette (<em>Bad Dreams</em>), simply remaking one of Argento's greatest films.

Plot: a young, rather unlikable, lass, Jennifer Cassi (<em>The Sickhouse</em>'s Gina Phillips), flies off to the other coast--we're never sure where she is or where she's from, though she does mention she went three thousand miles to get there--to oversee the sale of the family estate after the sudden death of her twin sister Johanna (also played by Phillips). The mansion is at present only inhabited by two old ladies, her aunt Emma (the fine Argentinian actress Hilda Bernard), of whom Jennifer is inordinately fond, and her grandmother Mary Ellen (Faye Dunaway, who should need no introduction), of whom she is... not. Now, it should be noted that many of the family members suffer from what seems to be a hereditary disease in which the body attacks itself, slowly eating away the internal organs. Emma is in the final throes of it, both of Jennifer's parents died from it, and while it's too early to say, it looks like Johanna also succumbed. In fact, the only two people in the family who seem immune are Mary Ellen and Jennifer. But Jennifer is still young. And, of course, as soon as she steps back into the house, the disease manifests, along with nasty nightmares about ravens eating her every time she goes to sleep. With the help of a possibly-cracked old ex-doctor turned gravedigger, Bardevil (<em>The Inquisitor</em>'s Duilio Marzio), and her sister's executor, Roberto (<em>Nueces para el Amor</em>'s Nicolas Pauls), she aims to get at the bottom of what causes this "disease", and whether her grandmother's seeming immunity to it is a coincidence. (You know better than that, right?)

Now, I have to admit right off that bat that Faye Dunaway slumming it in B horror pictures is nothing new, though if you're not old enough to remember <em>Suspiria</em>, there's no way you're going to remember <em>The Eyes of Laura Mars</em>. So the 1977 Best Actress Oscar winner (for <em>Network</em>) isn't entirely out of place here. And when it comes right down to it, it's a pretty solid cast, save low-budget veteran Phillips. But even Phillips brings a cold sliminess to the role that really works; I've heard a few people pan the film for Jennifer being so unlikable, but let's face it, that's what she's supposed to be. Aside from some clichéd silliness in the dialogue, actually, it's a pretty solid flick. Which makes sense, since it's almost entirely based on Argento. I grant you, you've changed the ballet school to the family mansion, but come on. Rudimentary changes like that, and the changes that radiate out from them by necessity, are the only changes in this movie. I mean, even the big talk Jennifer has with Roberto where everything starts falling into place mirrors Jessica Harper's talk with Rudolf Schundler in <em>Suspiria</em>, with the only difference being that the fountain in the background in <em>Suspiria</em> is replaced by a tree (but note it's still got a concrete bench surrounding it, just like the fountain!) in <em>Jennifer's Shadow</em>.

Given a touch more original thinking here, de la Vega and Pares, both respected directors of horror shorts working on their first feature, might have pulled off something good. There's certainly enough potential here for me to look into their seconds (De la Vega's came with <em>Death Knows Your Name</em>, Pares' with <em>Filmatron</em>, both released in 2007). But I can't get past the <em>Suspiria</em>-ripoff angle to enjoy this one as much as perhaps I should. * ½

I must say that before I bought this movie on DVD, I saw it on cable and it was okay, this movie was about a family curse, but much like another movie I have viewed. It wasn't bad, but moved slow, I enjoyed that it was a different kind of horror thriller with Raven birds as the main reason behind that family curse. It is a a good movie, but not deep horror for the horror advocates out there.

The only reason I watched this was because of the article in Fangoria Magazine. The article made this film look interesting. Well, it isn't. This was a very boring, amateurishly written and directed movie. All the actors in this movie are awful, except Faye Dunaway, who is always a joy to watch. But too much time was focused on Gina Phillips and her ridiculous encounters with ravens and Duilio Marzio. Marzio has such a thick Argentinean accent, you can only understand every couple of words he says. Also on hand is Nicholas Pauls, who plays the ultra-bland love interest to Gina Phillips. The bottom line: this movie is not scary. There is only one good scene and that is the last five to ten minutes of the movie. I would have given this one star, but I gave it two just because I like Faye Dunaway so much. But even she wasn't that great in this.

I won't bore you with the plot writing, it's mainstream, and it's so convoluted it makes little to no sense. I will say that the photography was grand. The cinematography and camera angles were thoughtful and overtly artistic and pleasing. The film used puts one in mind of "Dolores Claiborne" in the way Taylor Hackford utilized the darker film in the more "depressive" scenes. Dunaway is superb, as usual. She's convincing and isn't given enough screen time. I'm surprised she took this film, to be honest, it doesn't give her much highlight. She's wonderful, the rest of the cast is so-so. This film shows that without a great foundation, the script, ANY film will flop. Run, don't walk, from this mix of words and sentences. There is no beginning and no end to this horribly written film.

I don't particularly care for movies where I have to guess what the heck is going on. I like to follow along and at least have some idea of what the lead character is up against. I thought the acting was good, the characters (Gina Phillips and Faye Dunaway) were both good in their roles, but there just wasn't enough meat in their rolls for their talents to shine.