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In my opinion, it was a brilliant move as dozens of other ‘witch’ movies such as ‘The Last Witch Hunter’ and ‘The Witch’ are being released at the same time, which would make this underground film easier to come across, at least in theory. This version still ensures that most searches under Mark of the Wild will lead you to the low budget movie from the 1970s. Though, with a little more time, I believe this film will begin to dominate the search engines.
Now, getting back to the movie, the first scene is downright uncomfortable. It pulls you into the action and is incredibly unsettling. It features spiritual extremists donned in what seems to be KKK garb, darkly ritualistic attire while performing a rite that involves a baby. This scene contains some high-quality cinematography that enhances its grim vibe, which at the moment, I am thoroughly enjoying. Now, eighteen years later, we are introduced to Jordan (who is played by Ana Paula Redding) and learn that the aforementioned baby is also her.
Now, my first annoyance with this movie begins with casting. Jordyn’s character is supposed to be 18 years old but Ana Paula Redding seems to be much older than her. But this is why makeup exists, actors always tend to be older than the roles they play. If you want someone to look younger, you don’t cake on thick makeup, which is what the makeup artist here decided to do, which backfired. image005
This does not completely ruin a film, so this is a minor annoyance; let’s move on! Njordyn’s nightmarish 18th birthday party is something I will never forget. Her Aunt Ruth, early in the evening, starts attacking a fake blood-filled doll during dinner while uttering something completely incoherent in rage, ‘It’s time!’. No, my dear reader, this is a far cry from Carrie. Ruth decided to make a poorly constructed fake blood filled doll. Why oh why would they do this?
CGI is a small part of the film, Whatever, this is a minor annoyance. Now, back to the premise. Those of you familiar with the plotline understand that this is when Jordyn’s world takes a further plunge. She gets sucked into a reality filled with demonic possessions and Satan.
Ironically, this is where the film also starts to show its first flaws. For one, although I find Ana Paula Redding’s performance as the ‘good Jordyn’ irritating, I find it far worse when she flaunts her abilities as the ‘bad Jordyn.’ When she’s trying to portray anger, there isn’t any, and because of the fundamentals that she lacks, you can tell she’s acting. The rest of the cast isn’t that much better, but at least there’s a titbit of passion in their acting.
It is worth noticing that there is very little dialogue that adds value to the film, and the few conversations that exist are just empty. Mediocrity describes the whole script, especially due to unnecessary extended dialogues.
The movie’s saving grace was the cinematography. At times, it felt like an experimental film. The camera movements themselves revolved around the image’s emotionally involved composition. If it was a scene that was meant to be unsettling, the gnarled camera work made us feel that way and very seldom anything else. Bravo to those cameramen!
While the concept of the movie is quite rich, it is sadly underexploited. The difficulties in putting a new spin on something that has already been well executed a hundred times over are very real. If you enjoy outstanding cinematography and sophomoric acting and dialogue, grab this movie. Others, I would suggest steer clear away from this one.
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