Believers Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
While on duty, David Vaughn and Victor Hernandez, two emergency paramedics receive a call from a young girl whose mother has lost consciousness in a deserted area, but they soon discover that the life they have to save may be their own. Kidnapped and locked in an isolated building, David tries to discover the truth behind a secret cult and their beliefs. As Victor's beliefs are challenged and the fine-line between religion and science are crossed, David must find a way to escape and get out, before "they" get him.
| Brian Lally | HazMat Truck Driver |
| Kyle Adahl | Sheriff |
| Nino Aldi | Local #3 |
| Daniel Benzali | The Teacher |
| Cullen G. Chambers | Cult Goon |
| Michael Childers | Extra Content Police Officer |
| Jordan Dang | Cult Boy |
| John Farley | Glasses |
| Michael Folkerds | IO's Goon |
| Michael Gregory | Extra Content Local #1 |
| Charles Hirsch | Extra content Partner Detective |
| Nick Hodaly | Cult Member |
| Joe Howard | Older Cult Man |
| Jon Huertas | Victor |
| Rif Hutton | Weather Man on TV |
| Daniel Myrick |
5.20 out of 10 (392 votes)
Visitor Reviews
"Believers" by half a director of "The Blair Witch Project"
posted on 08 May 2009"Believers" is your very average end of the world/suicide cult movie if not for the fact that it was directed by Daniel Myrick, one half of the director duo behind "The Blair Witch Project", if only Mr. Myrick had used one half of his brain too then this might not have ended up such a total mess.Obviously, the Hollywood producers didn't trust the film-making skills of the "Blair Witch" creators, since, they both have been virtually inactive in the new millennium so far. Still, it seems that Myrick had enough time on his hands to hatch a few cinematic eggs. Since last year, he was not only producing "Rest Stop" (which I kind of liked) but also directed another three feature length movies ("The Objective", "Solstice" and "The Strand"). Although, it remains to be seen whether they will make it beyond a straight-to-video release. As for "Believers" it pretty much follows the formula of "The Blair Witch Project", but while the twist in that movie consisted of surpassing our fear that the witch was real in "Believers" we are introduced to a bunch of frauds that in the very end... I really don't want to spoil it for you here, because the movie has not much else going for it than the twist ending, and even that twist is paper thin, almost as if Kevin Costner at the end of "Water World" had found out that he belonged to the latest Sea World attraction (no, it's actually not THAT bad). The story of "Believers" is about two paramedics who are on an emergency call to rescue a woman lying conveniently in front of a gas station, having some sort of a heart attack. Subsequently, David Vaughn and his partner Victor are abducted by a bunch of weirdos who take them inside an old bunker where their fellow cult members reside. I forgot the name of the cult, it's probably some Greek letter of the alphabet. From there on, it's pretty much business as usual. There's the sinister end of the world cult and it's mysterious cult leader, lots of teaching and indoctrination, members who try to escape but are caught (the woman with the heart attack and here little daughter), some attempted brainwashing of the paramedics, large gas canisters with the required bio-hazard warnings all over them and a lot of mumbo jumbo about numbers and how God can be found in science and such. The story arch, if you can call it that, largely consists of Vaughn's partner Victor having a spiritual crisis and slowly turning over to the dark side (hey, it's a character driven movie!). A lot of hokey acting is involved in that process and finally culminates in a scene where Victor gets to bang a hot cult member chick. Well, who can resist the power of love? Overall, this is a fairly weak effort to give a new spin on the old evil suicide cult story, which would have worked a lot better as a short movie instead of a feature length film. The material is too second rate and the actor's are too third rate to carry this anywhere but the nearest lowest price blockbuster bargain bin. There is too much focus on the twist ending and not enough substance to sustain it. In order for the twist to succeed the movie has to lull the audience into the belief, that there are religious fanatics at work here like we've seen them a thousand times on TV and congregating in the living room of our neighbor's house. The "show them something ordinary and at the end reveal that they have witnessed something extraordinary"-formula usually works better in the short form. Here, the cult's religion is not intriguing enough to merit any second thoughts as to whether their predictions about an imminent doomsday might actually be true and grounded in hard evidence. ***imminent spoiler ahead*** Finally, when that doomsday arrives - oops? did I spoil anything? - it's a mere afterthought to a poorly digested potpourri of religious fanaticism and spiritual sci-fi. Thus, it also confirms my impression upon viewing the "The Blair Witch Project", namely, that its strength comes from its fraudulent direction, since, there was no direction at all. Unfortunately, for Sánchez and Myrick that means that they will be forever condemned to have directed only one great movie, which is great only because it pretends not to have been directed at all. That might turn out to be the true curse of the Blair Witch.
"We're not the one living the lie, you are"
posted on 14 Apr 2009"Beleivers" is about two paramedics who respond to a call in a remote area & while attending to a woman who seems to be dying, they're captured and taken prisoner by members of something called The Quantum Group. This is a group of people that live in an underground bunker and are preparing to take a journey to the other side of the universe, because (they say) life on earth, as you know it, will end soon. Of course, these two paramedics (one of whom has been shot) aren't too keen to be taken prisoner, and of course they want to escape. The Quantum Group members are, of course, rather smug about their knowledge and what they're doing, and offer salvation to these two captives, but they don't want it....at least, until one of them, Vic, is taken for his wounds to be dressed and then he's brainwashed. I guess electro-shock therapy as religious conversion is one way to gain members. This cult seems to be modeled on the "Heaven's Gate" folks, so you know what happened with them, at least the end result. And that's pretty much what happens here, although a little girl & her mother escape their fate. The ending of this film is the most chilling part, as it seems that perhaps these whack-jobs weren't so wrong after all. Not bad overall but drags at times, and too much time spent on listening to cult members spew their numerological beliefs. 6 out of 10.
A feature-length Outer Limits episode
posted on 03 Mar 2009Great film! Some rather large plot holes that could have been easily avoided, if one were going to be honest, and at times the thing is frustratingly obscure and careless with logic. But Believers has a very creepy air, the acting is generally superb, and the ending is - if predictable a light year off - totally BRILLIANT. The movie plays like a very long episode of The Outer Limits (the 60s original, not the wretched colour revivals), and that's no bad thing. I suspect this movie played better outside of the US - American audiences tend to like everything explained with a minimum of ambiguity, and this movie has a very cavalier attitude towards plot information. Bad plot flaws damage the overall impact - the incredibly half-hearted search for the paramedics, the far too swift 'sex conversion' of the hero's buddy, the unexplained resurrection of a woman cult member, the badly answered question of why the paramedics needed to be kidnapped at all etc. But, ahhh, I've seen A-films that have made worse mistakes.Believers is most effective in the little details...the ever present loud speakers in the compound, constantly burbling propaganda you can only half hear, the glassy expressions on the faces of the cult members, the fact that these weird people are scary because they are NOT overtly evil. Perhaps more important is the fact that, like the Leader with the hero, the movie never tries to convince you to believe in what is happening...you can take it or leave it on one level or another. Comparisons with Jonestown are obvious, but the film's general tone owes a larger debt to the Aum Supreme Truth cult in Japan, with its' fetish for electronic devices and quasi-scientific esoterica, the usage of poison gas, and the idea that the charismatic leader holds a revealed "indisputable truth".Daniel Benzali is electrifying as 'The Teacher', creating a sort of Colonel Kurtz character. The Quanta Group's second in command, who appears at the start in the TV interview, and whose name eludes me, is also superb. Check out the deleted scenes on the DVD for moments featuring both men, both apparently improvised for the most part, that are better than anything kept in the movie. Puzzling omissions. The movie also contains one of the more chilling torture scenes in recent memory, in the shape of the electro-shock 'purging' of the hero. Devoid of gore, this scene is made frightening (for me at least) by the complete lack of emotion shown by the torturers. "It's for your own good" delivered in a weary monotone is far scarier than a truckload of Texas Chainsaw evil-chuckling over a victim.But *that* ending, a very erotic sex scene, the aforementioned EST torture moment, and a general air of weirdness and repressed hysteria, gives this film an edge. Well worth seeing.
Definitely Recommended
posted on 17 Feb 2009I didn't have high hopes for this movie after seeing the two previous and awful offerings from Raw Feed. But this one is actually very good. We start by watching a TV interview of a member of a cult called Quanta Group who explains to some foolish and silly interviewer what the group is all about. And he sure seems brainwashed although nice and soft-spoke.Next we meet a group of paramedics in a fire station. One of them just finds out that he's going to be a father when a call comes in and he and his friend have to answer it.They arrive at a public phone near an old gas station where a woman is lying on the ground and her young daughter immediately warns the paramedics to hurry up because "they are coming." The woman goes into cardiac arrest and as the paramedics are about to resuscitate her heart and notice that she has numbers tattooed all over her chest, a bunch of crazies wielding rifles arrive in an old truck. In the dispute that follows, one of the paramedics is shot in the shoulder and in the end all four are kidnapped by these people.They are taken to some underground facility, where megaphones constantly play some type of speech/mantra. The woman is taken away and the three others are places in restrooms stalls where the walls are completely covered in mathematical written. Eventually our paramedics are taken to a room and told by the same cult member who did the interview what they are all about and wants them to join the group. Later, the leader of the group called the Teacher, played fantastically by Daniel Benzali, speaks to them and takes their questions via mic and speakers.The woman is healed with by touch of hands of the other cult members and the shot paramedic is more open to what they have to say than the soon-to-be-dad. Eventually, the woman will convert the shot one. While the other one stays a skeptic till the end.What is the cult all about: the Teacher has discovered or been given the Formula, which represents undeniable truth. It warns of impending doom and that the group cannot be left behind. They will leave this sphere and after some event for which they are all preparing will be transported to some other level of existence.Eventually, the inevitable event, for which they are preparing and which we anticipate happens: all the cult members go in a freezer room and open gas containers. But some of our characters will be outside of the freezer and survive this.A month later we meet the survivors again on a regular morning. But something is going on outside, everyone in the neighborhood goes out to see what is happening. And it is a very interesting and surprising turn of events.This move is very good. The acting by Johnny Messner, Daniel Benzali, the main cult members, and the little girl Saige Ryan Campbell is outstanding. One can see the budget limitation in the sets and the lack of action, but despite this movie going at a slower pace, it is captivating enough to keep your attention. The script is surprisingly smart: there's mention of transcendent states of consciousness, time, theoretical physics, ontology, etc. I would have to watch it again to see if it the worldview of the cult is entirely coherent or not. It didn't seem like it was. But there's some very interesting and intelligent material here. Also, there are some great Special Features on the DVD. Not the usual annoying 5 minute cast interviews mixed with 15 minutes of movie scenes. Rather we have extended part of the movie, that I think could been added to the original film. There is an extended interview of the cult member, a monologue of the teacher, a description of the facility, a fascinating mathematical explanation of what they believe in, and a forensic report of the investigation by the police the morning after the cult takes part in the event.
A weird, cool, creepy sci-fi thriller
posted on 28 Jan 2009I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this film. It's so rare to find a good sci-fi type thriller. It seems like all the scary movies these days cater to the lowest common denominator, doing fast cuts, lots of gore. I enjoyed the creepy pacing and the smart story.There were a few groaner moments, of the "oh, that was very convenient" kind, and it's clear that this was a low-budget movie. But overall it had a very smart plot, with solid acting, and a nice creepy tone. A fun find!I wouldn't recommend this to the horror gore-hounds, but if you're looking for a smart, thriller type of movie, this is a good one.
Intriguing but Flawed
posted on 18 Oct 2008The paramedics David Vaughn (Johnny Messner) and Victor (Jon Huertas) receive an emergency call from the girl Libby (Saige Ryan Campbell) in a remote gas station. While trying to save her mother Deborah (Elizabeth Godush), they are abducted by members of the sect Quanta Group, composed by scientists, philosophers and mathematicians that foresee the end of the world after a meteor shower. Their leader The Teacher (Daniel Benzali) converts Vic to his cult, but the reluctant David resists and faces a weird mystery."Believers" is an above average B-movie with a very intriguing story, but also flawed since there are some points that are not well-explained or developed. The greatest flaw is the lack of a reasonable explanation why David and Vic are kidnapped in the gas station. It would be certainly easier to leave the paramedics inside the firemen's ambulance on the road, the same way they did with their boss. How Deborah was resurrected and how The Teachers knew personal details of the lives of David and Vic is open, but may be well explained with the fire in the sky in the last scene meaning that The Teacher was really a powerful entity. I understand that the formula was the deadly gas, but it is not clear. I am a fan of original and low-budget movies, and in the end I liked this refreshing story. The direction and the acting are great, and I believe there are some unfair reviews in IMDb, probably from users that like commercial and easy to understand movies. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Fórmula Fatal" ("Fatal Formula")
This nicely made low-budget film is quite interesting and well done.
posted on 16 Oct 2008Two paramedics, David (Johnny Messner) and Victor (Jon Huertas) received a emergency call to help a mysterious woman (Deanna Russo) and her daughter Libby (Saige Ryan Campbell) in a deserted area outside from a gas station. Once they arrived, they tired to save this woman until a bizarre group of people arrived with a truck. They find themselves being kidnapped and bring them to a isolated building. The two paramedics finds out, they have been kidnapped by the Quanta Group. Which this group are actually a strange group of cults. Which they are composed by Scientist, Philosophers and Mathematicians. Which is controlled by a man, who called himself "The Teacher" (Daniel Benzali). But David and Victor learns by the Quanta Group truly believes the end of the world is coming soon and they are preparing a mass suicide. While Victor is been seduced by this group. David tries to escape to from this cult with the help of Libby and saves his friend before it's too late.Directed by Daniel Myrick (Co-director of "The Blair Witch Project") made an fascinating, clever, low-budget thriller with hints of horror and science-fiction. Myrick certainly handles well the low-budget of the movie by giving good performances from his cast, creating genuine suspense and an creepy atmosphere in the story. For a Direct to DVD project, this has good qualities. The director certainly shows a lot of talent behind the camera. But the film does it's usual share of flaws, especially during the third act but Myrick certainly does take his time by making the movie works. I think, the viewers will find themselves intrigue by the premise and they also will be modestly entertained by the picture. It's certainly worth seeing. (*** ½/*****).
Utter crap... did someone say formula?
posted on 02 Oct 2008I'm sorry this movie sucked. Terrible acting, really really confused story that never really explained anything. If at least a small attempt had been made do actually explain the story or show a plot or something it might have gotten i bit higher grading from me. All the foolishness about a formula was almost making sound like a commercial for toothpaste.My vote of 2 is for decent music in the movie and for at least a twist of an ending.Unless you really don't have anything else do do like operating on yourself with a worn out spoon, then do not see this BORING movie./D
Pure suspense, a real scary thriller!
posted on 18 Jul 2008Two paramedics are abducted by a cult & taken into an compound where the leader claims the world is on the verge of ending. The cult then attempts to "save" the two men in order for them to join in with them when they attempt to commit suicide within a few hours. Soon the men seek to escape the compound which they discover isn't going to be easy, but the question is, is the cult really crazy? It's hard to tell especially when the leader starts telling them everything they've never told anyone else, their personal fears, their secrets, their dreams, personal stuff that only they would know about! BELIEVERS was a really enjoyable suspense thriller that never bores it's audience or loose it's footing in terms of story, something that most films fail to do. The acting was great & Director DANIEL MYRICK deserves considerable credit for creating a truly suspenseful film that is both intelligent & at times scary, unlike most movies, you actually feel for the characters here, in this case the two abducted paramedics. Overlong, but well worth a watch & so much better than many theatrically released Hollywood thrillers, though fans like myself who've seen their fare share of these movies will probably figure out the films surprise twist ending about midway. Definitely recommended!**** stars
Entertaining and promotes both introspection and divergent thinking.
posted on 02 Jul 2008Set in the eerie, furtive realm of cult followers to a bewitching music score by Kays Al-Atrakchi, "Believers" is, in true Myrick style, a masterfully crafted thriller, reliant on an atmosphere of menace and suspense, as opposed to the ubiquitous gore of most contemporary film. Through the terrifying ordeals of 2 paramedics kidnapped by the Quanta Group, led by the Teacher, issues of destiny and its attainment, introspection, religion versus science, power of suggestion and gullibility are highlighted, enabling the viewer to evaluate and ponder what might be. Most notable, is the riveting performance by Daniel Benzali, who, as the Teacher, is at his insidious, evil best. His spellbinding, measured, haunting tone of voice crystallizes the mood of the whole film, making him, without doubt, the "master of creepy". Brilliantly counterbalanced to his character is that of young Libby, whose mind, like all the others, is anesthetized by the miasma of unconditional trust, innocently misplaced in that false sense of security of blind faith, so intrinsic to cult rationale. Believe it! "Believers" is a must-see.
It's Okay
posted on 30 Jun 2008After watching Myrick's "The Objective", I wanted to check out his other films that went straight to DVD and this was my first pick. The premise is interesting, two paramedics are "abducted" into a suicide cult of sorts and must get away before it's too late for them.There's a layer of religion (also seen in movies like "Frailty") that is really the crux of the movie - which makes us question the true motives behind religious preachers, missionaries and insane cults, as well as presenting us with an atheist point of view. The ending is the movie's strongest point, and it again poses the viewers with an important question. Myrick seems to like to ask more question than answers in his movies and "Believers" is no exception. This is a low-budget flick best seen with low expectations.5/10
Loved it!
posted on 11 May 2008This movie is absolutely watchable! But why didn't I simply write that it's good? Well, first and foremost, the acting could have been better. A lot better! The budget is obviously extremely low, the dialogues are not that good and the story is far from perfect, but let me tell you one thing. If you're looking for a decent, effective B-flick, this is it! Most of the actors are pretty established in various TV-shows, so we're not talking about complete nobodies. Far from it, you're going to recognize at least 2-3 faces, depending on how much TV you watch.It's a B-movie, make no mistake, but the good kind, if you know what I mean. Not the kind that is shot by talentless film students that features their friends and family. This is a very serious attempt to turn a relatively original script into a good movie. So if you can live without fancy effects, major Hollywood stars and deep messages, you're probably gonna like it.
What is the eagerness for death, if you never have lived?
posted on 16 Mar 2008The problem with any belief (an abstract), dependent on faith (an abstract), is that no concrete evidence is provided. Choosing the belief of any cult, versus one's own belief, is a quandary. An atheist does not believe in any God, whether it be a cult's God or anyone else's concept (an abstract) of God. A concept (which, again, is an abstract) may be confusing or difficult to understand. An agnostic will not accept God, without concrete evidence, but faith-based religious and spiritual systems require an acceptance based on the abstract (such persons believe that their concept of God is rooted in a higher power). God is invisible. Yet, some say that they feel, hear and see God in the nature, the rain and the wind. But, what is the formula? This remains a mystery, in this film, because it is never completely revealed. And, will our world soon end?"Believers" (2007) promotes critical analysis, divergent thinking, introspection, and reflection. Set in a dark, creepy and furtive realm, one can be hypnotized by the bewitching mood and musical score. In Myrick style, this film becomes a masterfully-crafted thriller, effectively supplying anxiety, fear, menace, suspense, and tension. The cult represented, in this film, seems to promote life. Yet, is there life within the shroud of the death scent of Hitler's control and manipulation, his experimentation, coercion, and force? The riveting performance by Daniel Benzali, who plays the Teacher, is at his insidious, evil best. His spellbinding, measured, and haunting tone of voice brilliantly captures the cult's intended mission, fails to reveal--until the end of the film--just how it will carry out. But, the actors and director are faithful to the script, and they do become masters of horror, without most of the blood and all of the gore. The film, beautifully counterbalanced and integrated, seems to show (at least on the surface) pratfalls of blind faith and misdirected trust. All people are born. All people will die. But, what is the eagerness for death, if we never have lived? Because the film asks questions that our finite minds are unable to answer, I rate this film an 8 out of 10. It is entertaining, and the film is good because it makes one infinitely think. The film expands one's horizons beyond earth, heaven, and hell.
intriguing...
posted on 06 Mar 2008The movie definitely did not begin with a bang, which from the title i wasn't expecting. The realistic situation of two paramedics responding to an emergency call sounds like an everyday task, so not giving any indication that this was a sci-fi movie. However once the plot starts to thicken, you tend to want to know more, you begin to wonder why the things which happen, happen, leaving you in a 'dimension' of mystery almost throughout the movie.The ending alone i would say is the backbone of this film, without which i would have most probably prayed to have my 90 minutes back.Given the budget of this movie, it is a watchable late night 'time passer' if you don't have anything better to do. The actors make the story very much believable and the storyline finally get to some sort of climax. There's not really much else to say...
It had to happen... contains spoilers
posted on 27 Feb 2008I kind of expected it about half way through the film. What if this wasn't just another "escape-by-suicide" doomsday cult? Suppose one of them really got it right. They really weren't killing themselves but where really going to a new world and our old one was about to dissolve.It did help that the "followers" appeared to be scientists. Like maybe there was more credibility to them than one would think. And, of course, the idea of mathematics to explain all and fix all is not really that far out.Ultimately, I was hoping for a "quantum-generated" worm hole that would whisk the believers away even if the implication might be it was simply a high-tech suicide machine. I suppose that was beyond the budget of this film and they opted for a "gas chamber" and having to "die" in these mortal bodies…thus somewhat prolonging the film's conclusion but only by a couple of minutes.At any rate, getting to the resolution was rather laborious and tortured. There were a lot of plot holes and conveniences which ultimately "fail" the film. Without getting too far into it, why destroy/eliminate everything including the paramedics if everything is going to burn up in a couple of weeks anyway? The list goes on.Nevertheless, Johnny Messner, as David and Jon Huertas, as Victor, were very convincing. One resisted the pull towards immorality and the other embraced it. That kind of "push/pull" is very good. Both were driven by their character backgrounds although Victor having sex with the "dead woman" seemed to ultimately predominate his prior religious background. His religious past actually would have worked well but the whole sex thing ultimately became just another needless plot hole.
Slow and tedious...
posted on 28 Jan 2008With two competent leads (Johnny Messner and Jon Huertas as paramedics abducted by a cult), one fairly entrancing nemesis (Daniel Benzali as the cult leader), seeds of a good story and decent direction, one immediately thinks this movie could have been much better.Writers Daniel Myrick, Julia Fair and Daniel Noah seem to have come up with a basic idea, without being able to elaborate the concept further. The result is a story with few interesting elements in-between its introduction and conclusion, and no rhythm whatsoever.Details of the cult are brushed over. Viewers are probably supposed to see this as shrouded in mystery but instead, the sentiment is that the writers failed to flesh out these things. And since none of the imagery, dialog or plot element is particularly engrossing, we can't take a "mind trip" as if this was a Lynch movie either, because use symbolism in this film is weak and immature.Director Daniel Myrick (Blair Witch Project, The Objective) has done much better in the past but here, there's simply not enough happening to sustain our attention for long. If the details were to remain that sketchy, I think this would have been better off as a sort of Twilight Zone TV episode.I appreciate the attempt but this is Myrick's weakest movie I have seen.
The last 2 minutes are superb. Sadly still not worth it.
posted on 04 Jan 2008This movie could have been excellent. it's too slow, tiresome, boring even, through the most part.The storyline is fairly interesting, or at least could have been. A lot was left unexplained, but still not open for any interpretation.Unclear dialog, and poor execution make this a huge miss. The surprising ending was a great attempt to save it, but unfortunately it doesn't make the other 129 minutes worth viewing.Too bad they didn't focus more on what happened at the end, and insisted on weary us with their boring-ass plot. 5. Just for the saving grace at the end.
terrible, terrible movie
posted on 18 Sep 2007the entire movie was predictable. the "surprise ending" was a running joke i had as i watched it with my wife. for the most part, the entire movie was a running joke, really. my wife and i moaned and groaned our way through this sub-par plot and pitiful acting. i can't think of a good reason to watch this, unless maybe i had a friend playing a part, but then he/she would never hear the end of it. i do not suggest watching this movie unless you have some time to waste that you will never need back. i'd rather watch "COPS". i now know the value of checking with IMDb as to whether or not a movie is worth watching. i should have just played video games.....
Weird cult with marker pen!
posted on 19 Aug 2007Is that a weird freaky cultist being interviewed on the telly? Welcome to the world of Believers.It has to be said that this film isn't bad but… it isn't great either.After the early introduction of a TV interview the action moves to the County Fire Department, the fire chief telling one of our heroes, Victor, to, "eat his own lunch" – obviously a problem in this fire house. Acting at the beginning is of numerous types of wood. Fortunately Victor and Dave (two of the less wooden ones) get sent off to deal with a woman who fainted.I don't really know the structure of County Fire Departments in the US but do they really do ambulance work? Here they find a mother and daughter (the best actor in the film) the mother having tattoos that Victor notes "Never seen tattoo's like that before", possibly because they were drawn on with a marker.Then suddenly the evil garage owner has rung the cultists and they turn up and take them captive. Why the garage owner waited until now to contact them and why the cultists take them with them is unknown, but take them they do.We then enter the conversion phase where they try and convince them, indeed this is the main part of the movie.Oh I forgot Victor is shot. Not terminally.Dave makes some abysmally weak attempts to test the wire mesh and you wonder why he doesn't brace himself against the wall and kick it through. You also wonder why he doesn't use the cistern lid. (Carefully removed in the other cells).We go back to the girls mother who goes through full conversion while the cultists complain that her daughter shouldn't be here (erm… put her somewhere else).Then back to Dave, Victor a completely unconcerned Fire Chief, even though his men have been missing for ages and the obligatory Dave's wife ringing him to find out where he is shot. You wonder how long the emergency services are going to wait before reacting. I also thought emergency vehicles had tracers.Dave continues to fail to note he has a cistern lid to use as a weapon. Victor's strong faith seems to be put to the test with the merest nod of his history being revealed and the viewer is possibly left a bit perplexed by why they might be watching this.As the Chief comes to find his men the garage attendant uses a monkey wrench to disable the radio – which part of this cult of elite scientists did he belong to – and then takes out the chief who manages to miss a huge fire vehicle in a garage at point blank range for longer than any normal human.The big cheese finally talks to Dave and Victor to reveal Victor trained as a priest. Victor is alarmed and wonders how he knew as he has not told anyone. I assume the church keep records.On return to the cells Dave fails to use the cistern lid again and then tells them to stitch Victor's bullet wound – a puncture wound shouldn't be stitched.Victor then falls for the old conversion by sex routine (the girls mother and general titillation for some watching) and Dave finally after another pathetic attempt to break from his cell finally does what the audience wants and uses the cistern lid. Hooray.Rebecca (mother) sure fire conversion seems to be failing (possibly being used as a sex tool by these great minds) and I began to ask exactly why the cult needed her and her daughter back.However they make an escape, Dave and Libby (daughter) and drive the ambulance for what seems a few yards, driving onto a dirt track – why not stay on the road? – to find a view over the city. Again weren't they miles out and hard to find. The four wheel drive vehicle then gets stuck in dirt. Well they had to be captured somehow! The leader (called "Teacher") who initially said he couldn't see anyone due to infection is suddenly out amongst his people and tells Dave that they, "Don't kill" ending his rant with the fact that he'll "see he (Dave) is put to sleep." Vic's sexual exploits have obviously taken their toll as he is now in a wheelchair and has had the fastest tattoo (cult symbol on back of neck that represents their individualism in the universe – or it's just a Greek letter!) obviously that marker again.They escape, except Victor who can't break the conditioning – no wonder he failed as a priest. They had to really and social services leave Libby in Dave's care, because you would wouldn't you? The ending is good, I want to know which film they nicked the special effect from and all in all the films not bad.Music and direction are more than adequate but someone should have looked into the continuity and filed off all the sharp edges that didn't make sense.You're always limited by your budget and they used it well and the end product is enjoyable but by no means perfect.
B-movie, but an OK one
posted on 20 May 2009I read a couple of reviews of this movie, which rubbished it entirely - dreary, dull, full of plot holes.For example - one reviewer kept harking back to the point - who called the paramedics - how ridiculous was this? But the film makes it clear that the daughter of the dying mother called the medics from the pay phone right next to her, which was later trashed by the garage guy to prevent any further calls being made. The fact that it wasn't spelled out in words of one syllable might have made it all too subtle for the reviewer (this was rottentomatoes, after all).Another one - everyone knew where the paramedics had gone, so why didn't they chase them up when they went missing? But the movie shows that they did - cops, and the paramedic chief (who gets bashed over the head for his trouble).Yet another - how could a cult like this survive without the authorities being interested? Isn't that exactly what happened at Jonestown? Not to mention Western Australia ( the Japanese cult whose name escapes me, but attempted to kill heaps of people on the subway) and various religious sects and cults around the world.Sure, it's a B-movie, but it had its saving graces. I was impressed that when Vic gets shot through the shoulder, clean wound or not, he doesn't just carry on as though nothing happened - he bleeds, he's in pain, he feels some disability. When his partner gets bashed over the head with a rifle butt, he doesn't just wake up and proceed to beat everyone up - he gets double vision, he has a splitting headache - much more realistic than in the bulk of other movies.The final twist was great. The film's morality was dubious, but it was thought-provoking - there was some interesting dialog regarding Vic's Catholic background ( a religion that spurns suicide as a sin) and shows how his background, in fact, makes him already a believer.I enjoyed this, much more than the next movie I watched (The Matador) which had good reviews but was, in fact, complete, totally amoral, rubbish.