'Consumed' Reviews: "With its rich emotional core and examination of human frailty, Consumed makes for a tasty treat - and just might scare you away from ever going camping again."

         On August 16, 2024, Brainstorm Media released 'Consumed', which has been panned by the critics, currently holding at 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film a couple is caught between a rock and a hard place as they are pursued by an evil man and a monster in the woods. The ensemble cast includes Devon Sawa, Courtney Halverson, and Mark Famiglietti. But what did the critics have to say?

        Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com notes, "It’s always hard to know why on-camera performances don’t play well off of each other, especially when their characters are at cross purposes with each other. Based on what’s on-screen, both “Consumed”’s dialogue and the direction fail to expand on the movie’s distinguishing concern with Beth’s emotional turmoil. Too much conversation weakens the impact of the monster attack scenes that will presumably hook most viewers in the first place. Some pseudo-folksy dialogue also rolls off of Sawa’s tongue like a wad of sandpaper, like when he clocks Beth’s post-cancer infirmity: “You’re sick, ain’t you?” That sort of line needs a bit more context to land properly, and “Consumed” doesn’t have nearly enough padding to make it stick." Adding, "A sense of rhythm or frustrated chemistry might have made a difference in “Consumed,” at least enough to stick to the movie’s by-the-numbers conclusion. Unfortunately, clumsy and mostly inert dialogue often pre-emptively steps on Beth and Quinn’s actions, making it even harder to anticipate whatever comes next. It’s also hard to shake the feeling that we’re watching inexperienced or simply ungrounded performers struggling to enhance threadbare material. Some exciting moments are scattered throughout “Consumed,” but they’re never as compelling as the movie’s initial promise. "

        Bee Delores of Horrorverse praises the film, stating, "With its rich emotional core and examination of human frailty, Consumed makes for a tasty treat - and just might scare you away from ever going camping again."

        Aaron Murray of Loud and Clear Reviews says, "Sure, there’s not a lot you can particularly do when all you have surrounding you are trees, but man, it’s just hard to muster up any interest in what ultimately amounts to a whole lot of standing around waiting for something scary to happen."

         Zofia Wijaszka of Nerdspin writes, "Consumed" offers little to nothing that feels fresh or engaging as it adds to the horror genre. With the film’s stilted dialogues, tangled narrative, and characters making questionable decisions, it’s a film that quickly fades from one’s memory." Adding, "The acting is the film’s redeeming quality. While Famiglietti occasionally comes across as flat, Halverson and Sawa deliver substantial performances, portraying characters grappling with deep pain, loss, and grief. Both Beth and Sawa’s characters relate to one another on a deeper level, which helps in the fight against the monstrous threat."

Photo by John Jackson on Unsplash

‘Starve Acre’ Reviews: Film “is a satisfying addition to the growing crop of English folk horror narratives that venture past the edges of magic realism, entering into a wild realm that lies just beyond our waking vision”

 

                                                          Photo by Felix Mooneeram on Unsplash

On July 26, 2024, Brainstorm Media releases ‘Starve Acre’, which has earned rave reviews from critics, holding fresh at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film a family confronts dark and malevolent forces after moving to the countryside. The ensemble cast includes Matt Smith, Morfydd Clark, Erin Richards, and Robert Emms. Read the full review round-up below.

Guy Lodge of Variety notes, “No one person in “Starve Acre” screams, speaks or behaves quite as people should, which is key to the film’s baleful pull: Kokotajlo, at least, brings a fierce discipline to its disorder.” Continuing, “You can smell what’s happening in “Starve Acre” before you puzzle the rest of it out. The grassy, peaty dampness of its rural Yorkshire setting seems to hit the olfactory glands without any scratch-and-sniff assistance, only intensifying as the film unearths its literally deep-buried secrets. Daniel Kokotajlo‘s impressive second feature unfolds in a vein of British folk horror that has been popular of late — with films from Ben Wheatley’s “A Field in England” to Mark Jenkins’s “Enys Men” all tapping into that retro “Wicker Man” eeriness — but rarely with such rattling sensory specificity or formal refinement. Starring Morfydd Clark and Matt Smith as former townies unprepared for the full burden of lore they inherit with their desolate farmhouse, it’s a tale of quite outlandish fantastical leaps, grounded by the chills it also finds in common weather and wildlife.”

Peg Aloi of Arts Fuse writes, “Adapted from Andrew Michael Hurley’s critically acclaimed novel, Starve Acre is an unsettling folk horror tale set in ’70s rural England. Matt Smith (The Crown) and Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud) are Richard and Juliette, a young couple living in a remote country house where Richard works as an archeologist examining local relics. Setting up tents and digging in cold wet weather occupies Richard’s time after a tragic loss, while Juliette retreats to her bed. Soon after Juliette’s sister comes for a visit, Richard discovers a set of animal bones and puts them aside. When the bones exhibit strange, impossible changes, he becomes obsessed. There’s a vibe reminiscent of the Icelandic film Lamb here: both films posit worlds of humans and animals coinciding with intimate strangeness. Directed by Daniel Kokotajlo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Hurley, Starve Acre is a satisfying addition to the growing crop of English folk horror narratives that venture past the edges of magic realism, entering into a wild realm that lies just beyond our waking vision.”

Peter Bradshaw of Guardian praises the film, stating, “Smith and Clark, at the head of a very capable supporting cast, keep the movie on an even dramatic keel, with intelligent, thought-through performances putting life back into some familiar tropes.”

Jonathan Romney of Screen International says, “Perfectionist direction and subtly unsettling mood give a bespoke edge to what would otherwise come perilously close to being a Gothic shaggy dog story (although a dog is not the beast at issue here).” Adding, “The less revealed about Starve Acre’s plot, the better – especially as, well-honed special effects notwithstanding, we eventually enter territory that might get incredulous guffaws from viewers of a genre-sceptical disposition. But with this type of narrative, accepting the fantastic is as essential leap of faith for the audience as it is for the characters, whose understanding of reality will be transformed in the course of events – sometimes with shocking abruptness. Suffice to say, Kokotajlo keeps us guessing about what will happen around the family home, especially given the couple’s interaction with outsiders, including neighbour Gordon (Sean Gilder), Richard’s fellow academic Steven (Robert Emms, returning from Apostasy), a matronly local woman with a penchant for candlelit healing (Melanie Kilburn), and Juliette’s sister Harrie (a nicely perplexed Erin Richards).”