Conjurer

Plot synopsis:
For the past year, photographer Shawn Burnett (Andrew Bowen) and his wife Helen (Maxine Bahns) have been grieving the loss of their first child, which died in Helen's womb before it could be carried to term. They're hoping that a move to the country will help them both heal and move on with their lives. Shawn is somewhat irritated that the move involves him taking charity from Helen's brother Frank (John Schneider), but he's willing to do whatever he can if it will give Helen solace. Frank promises that he will build the two of them a brand new house, but until the construction is done they must stay in an older house with a decrepit cabin in the backyard. Shortly after they move in, Helen becomes pregnant again.
Shawn is fascinated when he discovers via some neighbors that the cabin is reported to be haunted by the ghost of a witch that curses anyone trying to get pregnant, seeking revenge against a husband that murdered her own child years ago. While investigating the legend Shawn injures himself on a tooth left in the cabin and develops a severe infection. As the infection worsens Shawn begins to experience strange visions and events, unsure if they are real or delusions triggered by the infection and a possible latent mental illness, as his own father murdered his wife and then killed himself. This worries Shawn as either way this poses a potential threat to Helen, either by the witch's hand or by Shawn's possible mental illness, and he decides that he will get Helen out of that place. This puts him at odds with Frank, who believes the land to be completely safe.
As things grow more strange and Shawn becomes more unstable, things culminate in a chase scene that ends with Shawn firing a gun at his wife. Authorities are called to the scene and Shawn tries to explain the story of the witch, only to be told that there is no witch and that the neighbors (who had told him the story) never existed. He's then taken to a mental institution, leaving Helen to live in the house by herself. The film ends with Helen listening to a phone message from Shawn and then turning to the camera with a malevolent look, leaving it up to the viewer to decide if the events in the film are the result of Shawn's psychosis or if there actually is a witch and that she has possessed Helen at some point during the movie.

Tags: paranormal, murder, haunting, flashback

Review:
Good ghost stories always are slower paced with unsettling creepy touches that can be moody and Gothic and spooky.
So here's a tip to splatter fans and gorehounds >> AVOID THIS MOVIE << to the rest of you who like slower paced quality spooky movies, this is really worth watching.
I'm quite wary of American ghost stories since they always seem to have several dozen false scares, loud sound effects and music, shock for shock sake that only shows a lack of imagination and dimwitted characters doing dimwitted things.
Most supernatural films that dish out the shocks can't or won't attempt unsettling, eerie or creepy moments because they have no faith in the audience who will think it's not scary enough or too slow.
We love independent movies especially spooky ones that don't do the whole gore thing and we saw this review quoted from Dreadcentral.com back in August: "No word on a distro deal for the film yet, but I'm sure it won't take long for someone to snatch this up.
Conjurer is a smart, tense ghost story that I'm sure will find its place among fans who are looking to avoid the usual ADD-causing jump scares and work instead on slowly witling away at your nerves." It really made us want to see it but there was no word about a release or anything and there was no follow up news then we saw it was going to play at the Dixie Film Festival a few weeks ago.
This is low budget and a bit slow but a whole lot better than movies like The Return or The Abandoned or The Messengers or Darkness..
Just got back from the premiere screening, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed with this film.The story established a thoroughly creepy premise, built the tension, included more than a few jumps and jolts, and had me and my wife hugging each other tightly for fear of the next scare.So, a great horror film experience.The production values were very high.
I wouldn't call this a horror film because the term usually means lots of splatter and this has little blood but there's no category for 'Best Supernatural' or 'Best Ghost' story at any of these fests which is too bad, that would be a better category even though it had it's share of creepy moments.
In this case it worked to their advantage because the story benefited with a gradual creepy film that never signaled where it was going or how it would end.
Sure enough there's something wrong with this cabin and strange things start happening, the cabin is haunted by the ghost of an old witch or Conjurer.
I'm going to do my best to stay awake while I write this review for you but I even as I type these words I'm dozz Shawn Burnett (Andrew Bowen) and his wife Helen (Maxine Bahns) move to the country after a miscarriage devastates Helen.
Horror or thriller movies can be slow moving, until the pay off in the end, which makes the entire movie worth the audience's patience and attention.
He pulls Shawn off adequately enough that if the script were better, he might be able to compensate for the egregious attempts at acting by other actors in the movie.Whenever Maxine Bahns came on screen, the teeth in my mouth that had dental work began to throb.
I can tell he is trying to figure out the best angle to convey mood but the only thing I felt was nausea.The one part of the whole movie I was in love with was the when Shawn decides to take the status of the crow into his own hands.
After viewing some of the comments here i decided to actually watch this movie, even though i was pretty much convinced that it was a waste of time.
The plot had been done much better before, the effects was yet again horrible and I cant find a single thing from the movie that i enjoyed except from Maxine Bahns looks.
Sure, the film relies on all the same tropes as 99.9% of the "haunted area" pieces, but "Conjurer" really shines in its ability to cause fits of uncontrollable laughter and/or comas.Should you ever find yourself in the mood for a horror film that includes such terrifying elements as the discussion of paint swatches, the planting of cabbages, and healthy trees in broad daylight, "Conjurer" is just what you need.Alternately, you could read an issue of "Better Homes & Gardens"..
Then I checked out the film's website and saw it had won four other film festival awards and had good reviews so I rented it to see what this little half million dollar film had going for it.
I like watching indie films and this looked at least interesting.First, for such a low budget it's far better than a lot of studio movies with 20, 30 or 40 times the budget.
Second, it's also almost old-fashioned in the slow pace and lack of gore for a horror flick so I can see why viewers that like jump-cut gore are going to find it too tame.
But like other reviewers have said, when it seems that all we ever get lately is films going the slasher and blood route and the herky-jerky Asian horror plus ridiculous CGI FX that have become almost laughable, this director bucked the trend and went more cerebral and eerie.
I'm pretty sure that certain elements of the story could have have been stronger and shot better if they had more time and money and locations, but it was overall quite effective.
The front of the DVD has a quote that says "a slow burn gripping little ghost movie" and I thought that was right except it's more about a vengeful witch's spirit than what you normally think of in a ghost story.
It does have a slow pace, but I was never bored and as the second half unfolded it sustained my interest very well with good creepy moments, some good scares and an ending that was an odd and interesting twist definitely out of the norm.
And it also had some good acting performances to help the movie along as well.The story in "Conjurer" is about Shawn Burnett (played by Andrew Bowen) and Helen Burnette (played by Maxine Bahns) whom move to a quiet, idyllic rural house after having lost a child during pregnancy.
This homestead was supposed to be a place of recovery and rest, but it turns out that there is something ancient and terrible residing on these lands.It was also the fact that the characters in the movie were well-detailed and fleshed out on the screen that helped added depth to the storyline.There is a good amount of creepy moments throughout the course of the movie, but nothing that really climaxes into something downright scary or disturbing.
A feat which the movie needed.The acting in "Conjurer" was good, and especially Andrew Bowen stood out here with his performance.
The effects in "Conjurer" worked well enough for their intended purposes.However, for a horror / thriller movie then "Conjurer" turned out to be a generic one.
But, after seeing this movie "Conjurer" i registered with IMDb to write the review."This is the worst horror movie I have ever seen".
Any Horror Movie cannot be this much worst.I did waste more than one hour, expecting to happen something creepy (I wish I could get back).
I think, the movie director and producer have written the first two reviews stating High rating.Lots of other creepy movies you can find in store, don't waste time as i did..
Creepy film with some nice twists and turns in the plot, and even in the ending.
if Saw 5 or Hostel is your idea of a great horror movie, you should probably skip this one, but if enjoy intelligent, character-based chillers like the Orphanage and the Others, then you will like it..
It is just a somewhat slow paced, but very good, indie movie.
This is the classic case of a VERY slow burn, ULTRA low-key, Retro Horror film, very much like a lot of the old British Ghost Stories.
You honestly either really like them or you do NOT.That is why you see reviews here with 7 and 8 stars and comments like 'Creepy' or 'Really Scary', and yet there are also MANY that tell you that the movie is complete crap and a waste of time.The one thing right from the start that I VERY much appreciated was that the acting was actually quite good.
As I've said before in other reviews, usually that is the ONE thing that turns me off immediately with many 'Horror' films that are similar to this.
IF you do enjoy real slow, but quality old fashioned Horror films and you are NOT looking for over the top sadism or violence, and also VERY important, if you are the kind of person who can EASILY get drawn into atmospheric, slow-building, Ghost Stories that are similar to this, then there is a decent chance that you will enjoy watching this movie.
if you like your Horror films with a faster pace or more action or are easily bored, then you will definitely want to give this one a pass.
I'm not saying that you won't be able to appreciate it; I'm only saying that it probably is just not your kind of Horror movie.But, if you DO enjoy a low-key, mildly scary Horror story and you can allow yourself to get caught up in the mood and atmosphere that the film makers built quite nicely, then you should have some fun watching this....
Then they move to the country side, to get a fresh start, For the first 20 minutes felt like this could be a good movie , some calm scenes in this movie, felt a little bland at times.
Some of the scare Scenes or the Jump scenes, were not scary at all, they tired to make it creepy, by keeping far from each other but think it failed, other scenes felt empty The whole movie was just about watch-able and ghd twist was decent, I had didn't see it coming at all but this dose leave some plots holes in the movie.
( I heard cast and crew were actually haunted on set, and those stories they told, were a lot creepy then this movie ) The acting from two main, lead were really were rrally bad in some scenes, as some scenes were almost un -watchable.
Conjurer resulted to be a nice surprise because it tells a ghost story on an old-fashioned style,creating suspense on a traditional way and not choosing the easy way of the gore or the tedious edition tricks which have became a custom in the low-budget and high-budget horror cinema.The movie tells the story on a serious and slow way and that helps for adding mystery to the movie.It also generates a very good atmosphere and the film creates tension on a solid way without using cheap tricks (with only a few exceptions) .Director Clint Hutchison made a minimalistic work and that was a good decision because it complements the style and tone of the movie.The fails I found on this movie are two.For one sight,Maxine Bahns did not convince me too much with her work.On a lot of occasions,it's easy to note her lack of conviction.And for the other sight,there are two or three times in which the movie uses artificial scares.But,fortunately,for most of the time,the movie does not use that cheap trick.Conjurere is a very competent horror film which kept me very entertained and tense.But what I mostly appreciated from it,is its classic style.I recommend this movie with confidence..
Or people that have never watched a thriller or a horror movie before?
Actually this is one of the best low-budget supernatural horrors I have ever seen, although originality is hardly the case here (haunted cabin, evil witch, malicious raven, etc.).
"Conjurer" reminded me of thrillers like "Dark Remains", "The Shining" and "The Amityville Horror".A lot of attention has been paid to the characters, which is always good if you want the viewer to care about them and what is going to happen to them eventually.
The cast is great, Andrew Bowen in particular - he delivers a very natural performance and I like the fact that his character doesn't fall into the trap of "having answers for everything", "trying to be a super-hero" or "doing the most irrational things" in the scare-scenes.My one and only negative remark concerns the ending of the film - as one reviewer already mentioned - it doesn't really make much sense, and I think that's because it (the ending) tries to be "supernatural" and "rational" at the same time.
It's as if the creators of "Conjurer" couldn't decide between two possible conclusions of the film, so they included both of them as a result.Anyway, if "ghost-horror" movies are your thing and you don't mind low-budget productions, give "Conjurer" a chance.
"Conjurer" is an utterly poor and hardly worthwhile affair.**SPOILERS**A year after a miscarriage, Shawn, (Andrew Bowen) and Helen Burnett, (Maxine Bahns) move out to the countryside with Frank Higgins, (John Schneider) and Marlin Dryer, (Tom Nowicki) who tells them he's going to let them live in a small house while he finishes their new home.
With the haunting in the cabin turning into an armed chase through the darkened house with plenty of surprises to pop out of nowhere, it's fairly entertaining and certainly makes for some adrenaline to flow through the film, and with a somewhat original twist to occur certainly helps.
The only other part that actually works is the back-story, which like most good ghost stories is rooted in legend and is somewhat chilling, providing the perfect basis on which to hang a horror film.
One of the biggest issues, as it's the one that takes up the most amount of time, is the film's rather horror-less feel to it.
It's very rarely when the film feels like a horror film, which is most of the good parts, which leaves the rest of the time spent on a lot of themes or ideas that aren't very scary or horrifying.
This leads the film into an incredibly dull-like feeling and makes for some really boring times within the film, especially during the ending when it somewhat peters out instead of building up to a grand finale.
A very smooth flowing script from scene to scene -- there was no way to tell that this was in any way a low budget movie as it came across as first rate.Very good acting by the whole cast and kudos to the whole production and directing crew plus make-up and all the other folks involved for putting together a believable and natural movie set.I really enjoyed the fact that instead of blood and gore (which to me is just "yucky" and not scary at all) the movie scares one psychologically.
I saw this movie last night, hoping for something good - unfortunately, it didn't deliver.The movie has an almost stock standard plot - 2 30-something people move to a new area; "spooky" things are around; stories of haunted houses /garden sheds are being spread by certain people.I have been racking my memory, to try & remember what this movie reminds me of (there was a movie I saw a few years back that was almost the same - a person has paranoid schizophrenia & imagines a lot of the horrors that are seen on the screen - none of which are true - until the end).This movie offers nothing new; it definitely does not deserve the high ratings from the first two viewers, hence, I have rated it as a 1-star.
This could pose a threat to his wife, who has become pregnant again.I thought the work of Andrew Bowen and Maxene Bahns as the Burnetts was quite solid, with developed characters you care about, and I appreciated the attempt to slowly build a spooky atmospheric story about the possible witch's ghost who lives in a creepy cabin, but for some reason, the film never quite satisfied me.
I think those accustomed with films such as this already know that it will not end well for Shawn either way..if he's imagining everything, he's a nutcase, but if he's right, his wife's in danger.
There was a good balance of creepiness, story line, decent acting, and suspense.
What more could you want in a film to watch before going to bed?
(Yeah...I know...what were they thinking, right?) But seriously...this was a well done film that was edgy and worth the watch if you enjoy smart suspenseful ghost movies..
If you have read or watched a lot of horror stories, the plot is quite foreseeable.
All in all, I think it was one of the best movies on the witch theme, that I have ever seen!.
(im not even kidding) There is a small scene at the end that you have been waiting for the whole movie but its over before you know it and it really wasn't even that good.
***The Spoilers*** Worth Reading if you don't want to see this horrible movie.Sean and his wife Helen have a miscarriage that puts them in a bad financial position.
so i guess now he is not crazy and that whole part is a waste of time.***The Summary*** by the end of the movie.
this movie is just plain BAD and VERY boring and doesn't make much sense when you tie the story together.
We all know know about movies dealing with witchcraft/ghost story elements, like ancient curses and possessed building, right?
Relatively many of my fellow reviewers stated that the film is full of genuine scares and atmospheric tension, but I honestly think they are either related to one of the cast or crew members or they never watched a REAL horror movie before in their lives.