Grim in good ways and bad

Rating: 6/10 (13 October 2018)

An American horror; A story about five students staying in a remote cabin in Tennessee who unwittingly unleash evil spirits on the world after finding an ancient magical book. This cabin-in-the-woods story is a mix of suspense, camp, black comedy, and over-the-top gore by design. It has some inventiveness with camera angles and jump-scares, and its staging and setting is impressive. While the general workmanship is below par the 16mm film guage suits the grubby, low-budget intensity.
There isn't much depth to the story, and it has a predictable ending. It is crude in the way it shows women as objects of violence and there doesn't appear to be reasoning to the demonic forces, but the black comedy moments and tongue-in-cheek tone are good compensation. The best aspect is the sound design which helps sustains the atmosphere amidst some pretty grim acting.