Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best of After Dark Horrorfest III, April 19, 2009
In my opinion, this latest series of films in the "After Dark Horrorfest" series is much better than their predecessors, and "From Within" continues that trend. The film is a cross between "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "The Grudge," with elements of revenge and a curse. The movie takes place in a small town, where so-called Christian zealots hold cult-like sway over many of the people, with one notable exception: a family of wiccans (for lack of a better term). In an event prior to the start of the movie, a woman was burned alive because the religious townspeople suspected her - without any real evidence - in the death of a child. Events are soon set in motion, resulting in a curse being placed upon the town for their evil and unjust act. The film is really worth a watch, and the end has a really good twist!
The acting isn't too bad for a lower-budge movie. Thomas Dekker, from "The Sarah Conner Chronicles," is one of the main actors in the film.
There are some stereotypes (ignorant, hypocritical, over-zealous Christians as well as the ever persecuted wiccans) used in the film, but I don't think that they detract from the film too much. Again, if you liked "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "The Grudge" or just movies about vengeful spirits and curses, then this is a good film to check out. Enjoy...
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Near perfect indie horror with a shocking ending!, April 28, 2009
Who would win in the battle between in the battle between light and dark? Where will the battle be fought? These are the questions asked by Phedon Papamichael in his new film From Within. While the film does tread some well-worn territory, the movie is atmospheric enough - and the performances are good enough - for the viewer to be able to overlook the tired tropes and enjoy a solid independent horror film.
From Within begins with a suicide, followed immediately by the death of the person who witnessed it, followed by many more deaths. The residents of the ultra-religious town begin to suspect Aidan (Thomas Dekker), the son of the woman they killed for practicing witchcraft. But who's really to blame for the string of deaths, and what price must be paid in order to stop them.
As a veteran of the last three "8 Films to Die For" festivals, I wasn't expecting much from this film. The annual horror festival is synonymous with boring, derivative crap. You know it's sad when the best film to come out of the previous two outings was Nightmare Man, a C-grade schlock fest saved by corny acting and Tiffany Sheppis' [...]. So you can understand my trepidation coming into this movie - especially after having the derivative Dying Breed a few weeks ago. Luckily, I was in good hands.
From Within begins shakily. It's difficult to decipher what's going on at first. The film simply transitions from one deadly set piece to the next without any apparent connection. Only when "final girl" Lindsay (Elizabeth Rice) decides to befriend the gothy-looking Aidan do the pieces of the plot begin to come together. Besides the foibles with the plot, other things fall a little flat. I wasn't too bothered by the whole people-getting-killed-by-evil-doppelgangers aspect of the story, but I felt it would have been creepier if we couldn't see the force killing these people.
Despite the flaws, the film does a lot right. The religious fanatics weren't too over the top. You could definitely imagine these nut-jobs living in a red state near you (hell, there are plenty of them in Arizona). Also, the ending was note-for-note perfect. The film's credit sequence - a grim version of the apocalypse - is creepier than most of the horror films that came out in 2008.
As another entry in the horror genre, From Within is a competent and engaging movie that's just a little rough around the edges. As an entry in the "8 Films to Die For" library, it's a near masterpiece. While you should definitely skip the majority of the films in this year's collection, From Within is a must see.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must See, April 30, 2009
As I was watching this movie I thought that it might cause a stir. It portrays (in a very real way) a town partially populated by the kind of bigoted evangelicals who give Christianity a bad name. I read some user comments on imdb by kids who complained that even at their own fairly liberal High Schools that they were being called baby killers and told they were going to hell if they didn't blindly believe. That's what makes this movie truly shocking. These people really exist. It also has a great plot about a thoroughly frightening curse with a genuinely unique opening and a wicked ending. It's well acted and wonderfully crafted. You'd have to be a complete idiot to think that it had any sort of anti Christian message, or more worrying, one of the intolerant fundamentalists who are portrayed in the movie. These are exactly the kind of people who voted Bush into power twice and are trying to persecute people because of their sexuality. Scary! Everyone in America should see this movie.
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