Family Demons and Curses: A Movie Review

Director: Ursula Dabrowsky.

Writer: Ursula Dabrowsky.

Family Demons is a Saylavee horror production that will be released in North America through IFM Films. Rich in family dysfunction, violence and abuse Family Demons has qualities similar to Greek tragedy. In the film Billie (Cassandra Kane) plays the heroine who has a tragic fall due to her philia or love for her mother. Her fall is caused by her philia and a curse that haunts others in her family (mental disorder).

The film is centrally about Billie and the abuse she experiences at the hands of her mother (Kerry Reid). Her abuse continues a cycle of mental illness that actress Kerry Reid brilliantly shows in her alcoholism and neglect for her young daughter. The mother is haunted by her own demons, but it is Billie's failing attempts to reconcile with her mother that drives the show.

The heroine Billie finds hope in a new relationship with Shawn (Alex Rafalowicz), yet, her reliance on her mother for dysfunctional support causes a downfall into madness and murder. Billie cannot escape the curse that afflicts three generations in her family with each female character experiencing rape, unwanted pregnancy, and visual demons. The film is tragic and any beacon of hope will be wiped out in the end as Billie finds solace in a tool of abuse (alcohol). The hopelessness continues as Billie's daughter is shown chained to a post and neglected.

Family Demons is a true horror film with a message about inter-family relationships, yet, the film is also a scary ride through one family's closet, which is full of bloody and ghoulish looking skeletons. Thrilling, tense, and taut Family Demons is an enjoyable tale that capitalizes on the horror, but delivers a commentary on abuse and alcoholism as well.

The film has a few flaws associated with low-budget filmmaking including a lack of cinematography, and well-dressed sets. However, the acting in the film from Cassandra Kane, Kerry Reid, and Alex Rafalowicz is well performed, believable, and fun to watch. Family Demons is fully immersible and an enjoyable escape for a short eighty minutes. Likely to be released in 2010 through IFM Films this is one independent film to look out for, especially if you like the unpredictable!

Photography/composition/emphasis: 6.
Acting/believability/consistency: 6.5.
Editing/continuity/pacing:6.25.

Overall: 6.25 (like wandering into a reunion for the Manson family).

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