I don't normally enjoy horror as I have a very vivid imagination but I took a chance on 'Charismata' by Andy Collier and Tor Mian knowing full well I'd probably be signing up for nightmares for a couple of weeks after...! It's an intensely thought-provoking and unsettling film. I caught it at Starburst Media City Film festival and every single facet is brilliant. Sarah Beck Mather deserves every single award she has won as Rebecca Faraway; she is simply riveting to watch and gives a nuanced and complex portrayal of a woman struggling to keep what's real and what is her fraying mind playing tricks on her separate. Jamie Sattherthwaite is perfect as Mr Sweet the main suspect of Rebecca's investigations into a series of grisly murders. The line "It's as bloody as a virgin on her period after a gang bang" by one of the medical examiners early on in the film sets the scene perfectly. Eli Smith played by Adonis Anthony is very easy to dislike with his constant badgering and dismissal of everything poor Rebecca does, and the rest of the police force/investigative team aren't much better. You can certainly understand how that every day would drain on her. The scene at the pharmacy is a perfect microcosm of her life battering away at her mental defences; the female pharmicist's bitchy final remark the icing on the cake. The cinematography is gorgeous throughout - my personal favourite scene being the initial questioning of Mr Sweet in which his repetition of 'No' as though he is completely unconcerned about his situation, the smug look on his face and leading on to the shot of him through the glass with the detectives reflections surrounding him. Gripping. The score was fantastic at ratcheting up the suspense and eerieness too. The only thing I didn't particularly like was the final VFX shot of Faraway's body heat. I was left reeling after the final scene, and questioning what was real and what wasn't in much the same way I was for 'Inception' by Christopher Nolan. I highly recommend you watch it. Brilliant work by everyone involved!

Charismata is billed as a psychological horror from co directors Tor mian and Andy Collier. As with all independent productions you're never sure what to expect but I have to say that with Charismata I was pleasantly surprised. Even after the first few scenes the quality of cinematography, colour grading and acting performances assured me that I was about to experience a polished offering.The storyline revolves around Rebecca Faraway (Sarah Beck Mather) a homicide detective working with her partner Eli Smith (Adonis Anthony) on a series of gruesome sacrificial murders. As the investigation progresses she begins to experience an increasing amount of disturbing visions and hallucinations leading her to question her own sanity. After being asked to take a back seat on the case she independently digs deeper to try to find a link between her visions and the prime suspect, property magnet Michael Sweet leading to a cat and mouse chase with an occultist mad man where the line between reality and insanity becomes more and more unclear. With good to great cast performances and an unobtrusive but excellent score Charismata in not without its faults but they are far outweighed by its positives.