Thine Ears Shall Bleed

Thine-Ears-Shall-Bleed
Thine Ears Shall Bleed

The ways of the Lord, it has been said, can be mysterious, but those of His opposite number in “Thine Ears Shall Bleed” are outright beyond devious. This enterprising first feature from Ben Bigelow might be said to be somewhat reminiscent of ‘The Witch’ in that it once more depicts a devoted family of pioneers being ravaged by the elements and other less visible powers – during the early days of America. However, the mastery of indigenously derived atmospheric suspense that Robert Eggers displayed in his debut is not much evidenced here, making for a mediocre supernatural drama that is never particularly believable, or terrifying. Nonetheless, it is an indie film that has enough finesse to catch the attention of those audiences who are in search of unconventional films that focus on the horror genre without relying upon excessive amounts of gore. It goes live on digital platforms in America on July 9 with the UK set to follow on the 15th.

Despite the absence of explicit indicators about the time and setting, we find ourselves somewhere in the vicinity of the 1860s within Montana’s geography. Rev. Ezekiel Thatcher (Andrew Hovelson), his wife, Sarah (Hannah Cabell), daughter Abigail (Lea Zawada) and son Luke (Duke Huston) are all on board a covered wagon somewhere in the mountainous regions to fetch a pipe organ that the minister believes will serve to enlarge his congregation. A fork emerges in the road even if it isn’t indicated on their map. They take the right side, the one that is more said to be well traveled and which appears to be the moral line to take.

Sadly, however, an unsettling feeling starts creeping in soon. When that route reaches its closure, they choose to take a break in a camp in the wilderness as opposed to retracing their steps immediately; when the day comes, they discover their horses are missing. They interpret certain tune that encroaches on their surroundings as either ominous Marvels or sounds of “angels on high,” instead of music. It’s loud noise encompassing his being that causes what the character calls ‘the name gopher’ when he stands over a cliff and looks nearby. He becomes convinced of the tragedy claiming, ‘I have heard the voice of God in these woods.” Later something happens to Luke, who had been blind till that time, at the very same place, enabling him to for the first time, see.

However, their ecstatic displays are not shared by the women of the house, who find it hard to fathom the divine peace that would help them cope with being lost in tough terrains with no food and no means of transport.

Dad’s perspective grows clouded with anger when it comes to discussing the situation of his family. Particularly during a solo excursion to hunt and find their missing squad, it unnerves her to find so many traces implying that they have walked into some unending, maze-like gail. Initially, it is every so slightly comforting when Luke stumbles upon the distraught botanist Woodrow (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe), who is yet another person who got lost somewhere along the fork in the road that is now long gone. But as their individual craziness and bizarre events continue to mount, this fellow traveller too, may not be what she seems to be as well.

Written by Ben and William Bigelow, the screenplay could be best described as a “Blair Witch Project” dressed in period wear although it omits the found-footage perspective or type. Satanic symbols start to appear as if planted by some unknown force; grievance is spread which segregates the protagonists among themselves. Woodrow recalls the legends of Blackfoot tribes which talked about the very same place that spoke of a demon who would guard the grounds and look for a perfect vessel to leave this place for the outside world.

The saying that life on earth is a struggle is very true in this film. It would be easier to get into that development if there were not so many words in the script of the movie and if more attention were paid to the images of the settings in southwestern Montana’s Bitterroot Valley. Chris Cavanaugh’s widescreen photography is pleasant, but “Thine Ears Shall Bleed” would probably be better with a more sinister and less scenic approach to it. And, vice versa, director-editor Bigelow does not demonstrate any particular originality in relation to raising the level of peripetikos throughout the film or making several key sequences stand out. The most remarkable scenes in this case are loud sounds (which is usually not a quality that can be associated with horror) that act as a jump scare for the audience. While it is not that there is any overt frisson in the film, the rhythm is not particularly slow either. There are variable performances the concern would be that there is a reaction to the over the top style of acting when perhaps a deeper mood is required which would lead the actors to not be so forced with plenty of contrived lines.

Yet, the individual blend of the errant religious zeal and demonic predation in an American West some 160-odd years back makes the venture fairly interesting. It is also rather refreshing to see familiar genre conventions utilized in ways that are not commonplace within the film industry. When it comes to Bigelow’s vision it is hard to argue that it is as remarkable as one would desire for a film on the subject but it deserves praise for not going the route of the fork that leads to more than just jump scares which is what a lot of modern horror covered with franchises has turned into.

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