I give it a 10 in the spirit of amazingly awful films, but I loved this movie! As soon as I read the summary, I knew I had to see it, and I am not disappointed so far. The acting is... well all of it is so ... awkward, sincere and compelling, somehow. An Amish Psychic girl. Demons. Someone I swore was John Denver. The acting. THE ACTING. "YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA" acting, only much, much worse.I did NOT see THAT end coming. And what a tremendous parting line. This movie has to be seen to be believed. Even with its glacial pacing, it's still somehow constantly entertaining! If you love truly horrible but entertaining movies, do yourself a favor and see this!
... View MoreThis is a very weird movie! Those who expect an old-fashioned possession-horror flick (as the cover of the DVD-box seems deliberately to hint at), are in for a (probably unpleasant) surprise, because it's totally different in style and content. No graphic horror, no screaming and shouting (hardly, anyway), no blood or any gore. Instead you get a highly stylized and extremely slow-paced (well, at least until the last half hour) account of some strange occurrences in a small Amish community, seen through the eyes of a young and susceptible Amish girl. For the first half hour of the movie I was intrigued, fascinated and utterly charmed by it: the almost serene atmosphere, the beautiful musical score (composed by director Patnaik himself by the way), the impressive photography, the rustic beauty of this little community and its surrounding nature, and last but definitely not least by the strong screen-presence of Jessica DiGiovanni as Amy. Some of the first scenes are stunningly beautiful: Amy's baptism, where we watch her elated face as holy water is poured over it; the wooing of Amy by her boyfriend and their date, sitting somewhere near the woods on a bench, where they cautiously explore the (limited) space that is allowed to their making-out. I was even intrigued by the first encounters of Amy with supernatural occurrences, presented to us in flashes that – at first – seemed to be meant as figments of her imagination, although some strange happenings (the sky turning totally black for instance) were already pointing in the direction of "real" paranormal activities that also were experienced by others, like her boyfriend. Then, halfway in the movie, it all takes an ill-fated twist, as a mysterious man named Christopher (Christopher Atkins) turns up as some sort of know-it-all regarding possessions. He persuades Amy into a joint-venture to unravel the identity of the "master" behind the possessed townspeople. From then on it's a fast down-hill ride and everything that seemed to make this movie fresh and intriguing becomes increasingly weird, chaotic and ridiculous. The supernatural force turns-out to be all too real, Amy turns into a second-rate Linda Blair with a growling distorted face and big rolling eyes (from this point on the movie actually turned into slap-stick!) and when the evil "master" finally makes its appearance even the last threads of logic are severed. Or are we to understand that the once out-casted brother of Amy has turned into a devil out-of sheer spite? And if so, why would he torment his innocent sister, instead of just the ones who were responsible? And is Christopher meant to be God? (I mean, what's in a name?). If so, why does he need all these elaborate rituals to taunt and challenge the demon? The final show-down between Christopher and the demon is clearly meant to be climax of the movie, but it's just painfully preposterous, with beams of green light thrown at each other until the evil one falls apart in smoking embers. The end. There is more to criticize. The cast mostly seemed to consist of good-willing locals who were instructed not to bother about acting, but to learn their lines by heart, and then at the designated moments produce them as loud and clear and articulate as possible. Atkins of course is a real actor, but his instructions were apparently the same and at the whim of the writer/director he probably was made to understand that his part had to be exaggerated to the point of ridicule. He really must have suffered a sore throat after the shooting of his scenes, since he all the time grunted his lines as some-one with severe COPD. His only asset to this movie is his impressively worn-down face, that in combination with his still boyish looks and the piercing eyes, give his personality exactly the appropriate sinister expression. Jessica DiGiovanni as Amy seems to be the only real actor (or the only one who is allowed to act as a professional actor should!) and especially in the first half of the movie her acting really stands out as very natural and easy. Besides that, she is also a natural beauty (without hardly any visible make-up). What a pity that she was forced into the nonsense that followed!A second, more principal criticism is the curious attitude towards homosexuality. The brother is apparently out-casted because he was gay and a drag-queen (my god, how cliché!) and this has turned him (by some unfathomable reason) into a vengeful demon. The demon-brother gets killed in the end, and all the inhabitants of the Amish community heave a sigh of relief, the afflicted ones instantly recover from their possession. Now I know that a demon is a bad thing, and maybe I'm just too sensitive in this regard (I admit, I'm biased in this by my personal nature), but this impresses me a bit as rewarding the bigots and stating that the gay brother was rightfully shunned (a bit like: he had a devil in him anyway!). I really wonder what director and writer Patnaiks agenda was on this point. In short: a movie with very promising start but a preposterous finish, and a waste of a very beautiful and talented actress. But I loved the musical score.
... View MoreA great, fun way to spend an evening, especially if you enjoy horror movies. A story line mixing the insanity of demonic possession, and the trapped, isolated feelings of the Amish make for a fun, suspenseful experience.The acting and special effects may leave people wanting more, but the script and plot will keep you wanting more. I have seen a lot of possession themed films, most being pretty non-original. Amy is different. The back drop of Amish life makes for a more stressful, chaotic, unpredictable film.If you enjoy movies about possession, and exorcism like Carrie, or The Exorcist, this is for you!
... View MoreAmy is an everyday Amish girl living in a remote village, cut off from the rest of society. One day she discovers that one of her fellow villagers is possessed. She then learns that she has the gift to see those are possessed. When she tells her fellow villagers she is met with skepticism, especially from her boyfriend Robert. Later a mysterious outsider comes to offer help as an exorcist. Is he for real? Who is the source of all these possessions? Will Amy save the village? These are all questions that resolve in a satisfying conclusion. The film is well acted, and directed and does not take the source material in a cliché direction. All and all Amy is a great frightening tale, perfect for all fans of Gothic horror!
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