Nocturne
**
Another film where a séance, conducted by young adults
(teenagers, college bound) for shits and giggles, once again during a night
they’ll live to regret. This is a night of hell where those who conducted this séance
face off with evil…in the form of Ole Scratch yet once again. Within the bodily
shell of Hailey Nebeker (who is completely okay with being topless, doing so
for an extended period in a bathroom while Clare Niederpruem showers), Lucifer
is up to his playfully violent shenanigans, tormenting the kids during what was
supposed to be a night of drinking and partying. Yep, Satan crashes the party,
forces them into supernatural situations they are unprepared for, and kills
them off one by one. It goes exactly like that.
Clare tries to keep her clothes on (I know how this reads!) with the group trying to get her undressed (“get in the pool with us” or “how about playing ‘strip or drink’?”) constantly…it becomes this nagging and running theme that does have an intention towards the melodramatic. Clare’s dad beats her. Yes, bruises all over Clare and her whole distanced and morose behavior actually has a reason beyond just a horrible father. It was the one surprising development that did rather land an impression…but it is similar to Mervyn Johns approaching the country home of Roland Culver as déjà vu becomes an attachment that is unyielding, perpetuity most unkind.
Anyway, Jake Stormoen sets up a camera in the bathroom to peep on Nebeker, eventually his phone recording caught by the gang who then chastise him. Jake initiates the séance and has card tricks to entertain them. He is then later rendered an acidic skeleton after Nebeker (no longer quite herself thanks to Beelzebub) seductively offers to “get on top”. Colton Tran is an obvious gym rat and weight lifter who knows his Bible quite well, quoting scripture when challenged, and Darien Willardson is the high schooler of the bunch without college prospects, unfortunately responsible for the group’s accidental trip on acid. Willardson does get to have “intimate relations” with girlfriend, Melanie Stone.
Melanie is the orchestrator of the shindig and is forced by Satan to slice herself up with a razor she uses to shave her legs. Tran winds up under the floor board with a bullet in his throat (the script and direction go for a clever twist on this by having Satan cause Willardson to put a bullet in the floor while pointing the gun at possessed Nebeker as Tran stands behind him; it seems like an odd move until Tran is under the floor at the exact position where that bullet is targeted), while Willardson finds himself in an acid tank with no exit.
Well, it has a score and tone that is melancholy. Although the Gabe character is an attention seeker, even he's not played too clownish. Discussions aren't acted broadly even when heated exchange arrives from characters or they cut up on each other with jokey insults. Never does this turn into anything too raucous and raunchy. It just isn't given that particular personality.
Clare is the dramatic anchor of the film; her countenance tells us that life has been rather pisspoor to her. Stone tries to contain her disappointment that Clare is at the party, considering her a downer that drags all the fun down. Clare is encouraged to join the folks and she does hesitantly. She’s careful when to talk and participate. A game of truth or dare in the pool is played safe with attempts to liven it up fail. The séance exposes sex secrets that undermine the whole point of fun the party was meant to enjoy. Clare’s punishment by Satan is to not get away. At least the others might die but don’t realize they’re to die on a loop. Clare obviously must not know her fate is on repeat because you’d think she would try and correct her situation and just stop the séance. I guess she isn’t aware of the loop. It is a twist in the film that I reckon most viewers will just frown upon. It seems put there just for the “ah-ha” shock of it. I am guessing that instead of “ah-ha”, it will just be “ugh.”
The violence is familiar (razorblade across flesh with screaming, bullet in throat causing coughed up blood, cries of horror when an escape from death is futile) and the plot operates under no hurry. It takes a while to get to Satan toying with his victims and Nebeker doesn’t ever get too showy. Her face is stuck in lifeless catatonia. It is all telegraphed with a very serious approach; there’s no tongue-in-cheek or winking at us. The closing song attempts to magnify the film’s dramatic impact. Too bad the film is more of a dramatic chore.
Clare tries to keep her clothes on (I know how this reads!) with the group trying to get her undressed (“get in the pool with us” or “how about playing ‘strip or drink’?”) constantly…it becomes this nagging and running theme that does have an intention towards the melodramatic. Clare’s dad beats her. Yes, bruises all over Clare and her whole distanced and morose behavior actually has a reason beyond just a horrible father. It was the one surprising development that did rather land an impression…but it is similar to Mervyn Johns approaching the country home of Roland Culver as déjà vu becomes an attachment that is unyielding, perpetuity most unkind.
Anyway, Jake Stormoen sets up a camera in the bathroom to peep on Nebeker, eventually his phone recording caught by the gang who then chastise him. Jake initiates the séance and has card tricks to entertain them. He is then later rendered an acidic skeleton after Nebeker (no longer quite herself thanks to Beelzebub) seductively offers to “get on top”. Colton Tran is an obvious gym rat and weight lifter who knows his Bible quite well, quoting scripture when challenged, and Darien Willardson is the high schooler of the bunch without college prospects, unfortunately responsible for the group’s accidental trip on acid. Willardson does get to have “intimate relations” with girlfriend, Melanie Stone.
Melanie is the orchestrator of the shindig and is forced by Satan to slice herself up with a razor she uses to shave her legs. Tran winds up under the floor board with a bullet in his throat (the script and direction go for a clever twist on this by having Satan cause Willardson to put a bullet in the floor while pointing the gun at possessed Nebeker as Tran stands behind him; it seems like an odd move until Tran is under the floor at the exact position where that bullet is targeted), while Willardson finds himself in an acid tank with no exit.
Well, it has a score and tone that is melancholy. Although the Gabe character is an attention seeker, even he's not played too clownish. Discussions aren't acted broadly even when heated exchange arrives from characters or they cut up on each other with jokey insults. Never does this turn into anything too raucous and raunchy. It just isn't given that particular personality.
Clare is the dramatic anchor of the film; her countenance tells us that life has been rather pisspoor to her. Stone tries to contain her disappointment that Clare is at the party, considering her a downer that drags all the fun down. Clare is encouraged to join the folks and she does hesitantly. She’s careful when to talk and participate. A game of truth or dare in the pool is played safe with attempts to liven it up fail. The séance exposes sex secrets that undermine the whole point of fun the party was meant to enjoy. Clare’s punishment by Satan is to not get away. At least the others might die but don’t realize they’re to die on a loop. Clare obviously must not know her fate is on repeat because you’d think she would try and correct her situation and just stop the séance. I guess she isn’t aware of the loop. It is a twist in the film that I reckon most viewers will just frown upon. It seems put there just for the “ah-ha” shock of it. I am guessing that instead of “ah-ha”, it will just be “ugh.”
The violence is familiar (razorblade across flesh with screaming, bullet in throat causing coughed up blood, cries of horror when an escape from death is futile) and the plot operates under no hurry. It takes a while to get to Satan toying with his victims and Nebeker doesn’t ever get too showy. Her face is stuck in lifeless catatonia. It is all telegraphed with a very serious approach; there’s no tongue-in-cheek or winking at us. The closing song attempts to magnify the film’s dramatic impact. Too bad the film is more of a dramatic chore.
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