Paranormal Operator

Category: Review

Initial Reaction and Review of The Exorcist: Believer (2023)

January 18th, 2024

Operator Movie Reviews

When I first saw the original The Exorcist (1973) during my high school years 2005-2009 I did not appreciate the impact it had on some. My dad admitted it gave him nightmares. I wish I could have see it through his eyes. Having rewatched the original in preparation for this review, the difference in quality is noticeable. That being said, while this 2023 movie did get one jump scare in on me, I cannot say it is terribly scary. So, lets get into The Exorcist: Believer.

***SPOILER FREE***

The movie is boring. The cinematography is well done, the music is fine, and the acting kind of falls short in places. The characters are almost nonexistent in that there is only one, Mr. Fielding. The story is an interesting one of fate, choice, love, regret, faith, and family. Too bad that the film only illuminates these ideas about as well as flashlight with a dying battery. It is a sequel to the original 1973 film and you will find some lines of dialog and at least one shot tying the two together.

Overall, if you want to watch a good exorcist movie, watch the original or The Pope’s Exorcist (2023). Don’t get me wrong, it could always be worse, but it could have been better.

Verdict: 2.6/5

***SPOILER WARNING***

The story is about two teen girls who, like in the original, are dabbling with what could be perceived as witchcraft. In this case Mr. Fielding’s daughter is trying to communicate with her deceased mother — using a pendulum? So you can use pendulums in spirit communication, but what the girls describe is not something as mundane as pendulum work but full on channeling, so I am not sure why they have a pendulum. Anyway, they sneak off to the woods, as you do, to perform their “ritual” ( I am putting that in quotes not because they call it that but because I am calling it that). They awake three days later having missing time. After they go missing the parents are introduced and we meet the other not characters. Everyone in this story except for Mr. Fielding is a foil strictly speaking regardless of what the writer/director/executive producer David Green intended. The West family is basically a caricature of the picture perfect “Christian” family. The dad is pretty much introduced as a dick and never really redeems himself, except maybe a little at the end and even that is walked back. The mom is quiet and submissive as I suspect some stereotype Christian women to be.

Once it is established that this is not a medical problem the story quickly shifts to full blown supernatural mode. Remember in the original film when the mom spent a lot of the movie trying to find a medical answer, and established characters as people who could help? It gave depth to the world as even psychiatry was looked down upon by the doctors, but here it is all, as Nick Fury puts it, “black girl magic!” Don’t get me wrong magic is magic no matter whose culture it comes from, but every Christian person and every Christian action taken or presented in this movie is weak, impotent, and second rate to the root magic of Dr. Beehibe. Oh, and I wouldn’t wan to forget to mention Ellen Burstyn reprising her role as Chris MacNeil except that she shows up just long enough to have her eyes stabbed out and does not contribute anything of substance except to complain about the patriarchy.

Moving on, the who diverse community of non-characters and Mr. Fielding come together for an exorcist. You have Mr. and Mrs. West, their pastor, generic Christian friend, Dr. Beehibe, and random nurse neighbor. A priest does eventually show up only to get his head spun 90 degrees which the special effects did looked pretty good. By the end however, a choice must be made: They must choose the form of the destructor, no wait that was a better movie… They must choose which girl to save. Like in Ghostbusters the decision is left up to the first person to speak up, and like the bad guy in Indian Jones and the Last Crusade they chose poorly. Funny thing actually, there is no choice. Mr. Fielding’s daughter received a prenatal blessing (more black girl magic) and Mr. West’s daughter had not been baptized, it is the West daughter who is sacrificed on the proverbial alter of “white Christians bad.” Does the film say this? Not explicitly, but every man who is a foil in this movie are depicted as weak, ineffectual, overbearing, tone deaf, or irresolute. Every woman and person of color is shown as selfless, in-charge, and willing to do whatever is necessary to storm the gates of Hell and fight evil incarnate.

Mr. Fielding, who presumably having lost his faith at the beginning of the film after loosing his wife, comes full circle and believes once again. He lovingly embraces his daughter while the West’s daughter is drug to hell. Unfortunately however, we are left guessing as the nature of Mr. Fielding’s faith at the beginning of the film as it is not shown and only brought up in a throw away line of dialog.

With that said, it is not a bad movie, but it was not worth seeing in the cinema. If you want to see it, I would rent it.
Operator Movie Reviews

October 3rd, 2023

Initial Reaction & Review of It Lives Inside (2023)

SPOILER FREE

For those who follow me on Facebook, You may have seen I went to the movies this past weekend. As you can tell from the subtitle, I saw It lives Inside.

The movie takes place in somewhere America and follows the story of an Indian girl who struggles against her mother’s perception of what she should be, finding her place amongst her peers, and vanquishing a demon. This is what the director and writer probably intended, but is may not be what everyone takes away from it. The dialog is not terrible. The cinematography and photography are pretty good, and the horror aspect is done fairly well as the monster is hinted at, but you do not see it fully until the end. The story is very simple, but it did not deliver the story I was expecting. That said there is a good idea in there, but it could have been done better.

Verdict 2.0/5

***SPOILER WARNING***

Why I do not like this movie. The protagonist is a bitch and we are not given a reason beyond the superficial worry of not being accepted by the end. She alienates almost everyone including her childhood best friend who she almost kills. The mom is very traditional and wants our protagonist Sam to keep true to her roots and Sam does not want to, even through she never explains why. Sam is on a first name basis with her teacher. These issues alone, I feel, do no represent eastern cultures where respecting your elders is paramount.

So, here is the story. Sam is a public school student who seems brilliant and successful at everything she does. Her ostracized best friend is being weird like she in on drugs. The friend has found a jar with a trapped demon and she goes to Sam for help wherein Sam almost immediately releases the demon and causes the friend to be captured and fed on. As payback, now the demon is following Sam. People get got by the demon, and Sam is central to these murder cases, but is never seen being questioned by the police. She discovers a journal and with help from her teacher and eventually her mom, she figures how to capture the demon within herself. Besides seeing her eat what looks like raw meat and a single tear at the end we have no idea what the ramifications for her actions are, but most seems right with the world.

In the story, we do not get to really know the main character, her family or friends until the end. There is no explanation and it makes it feel like a short story not a feature film.

Here is what we do know about the mom She is shown as a rather religious person and keeper of tradition. So, why would Sam, knowing this, feel her mom would not believe her when she says there is a demon tracking her? The mom, who speaks and reads Hindi is the key, so I guess the movie has to movie. I wish they had written a mother/daughter team up, but instead she teams up with her supposedly three-quarters dead best friend who probably would not have been much help.

I would have loved more cultural info. Hindu mythology and religion is a vast and colorful arena to draw from, and while the monster is Indian, and the fix is Indian, I feel the social dynamic between Sam and her mom could have been better. The food is probably the most cultural part, and the food looks absolutely delicious. It is also given focus at the end with the raw meat in stark contrast to the commercial quality meals the moms has previously prepared.

The creature design is alright until the end when you see it in full light. I think it would have been better to have kept it a shadow creature with a rough outline. The idea where it keeps you alive to feed over several days was good, but I do not fell like Sam’s friend was on death’s door when Sam arrives.

Overall, I would not recommend seeing this one in the cinema.
Operator Movie Reviews

September 18th, 2023
The Nun (2018) and The Nun II (2023)

***SPOILER WARNING***

Part Un

This movie came out in 2018, and by most accounts came and went. But is it really all that bad? I have watched it recently in conjunction with The Nun II (2023) and it could be worse.

Directed by Corin Hardy and written by Gary Dauberman, the film focusses on a demon who takes the form of a nun in the convent of St. Carta Romania and the Vatican contingent of Sister Irene and Father Burk. Irene and the demon Valak are the main characters. Essentially, Valak is attempting to get out of the convent so it can be free to roam and do demon things, but the abbey is fully of pesky praying nuns who attempt to keep it prisoner. Nearly all the nuns are dead when the last two attempt to access a holy relic, the actual blood of Christ to seal up the breach and vanquish Valak. This fails as the last nun defenestrates herself ending in a short drop and a sudden stop. Why didn’t the nuns reach out to the Vatican for help rallying all the forces of Christendom like they show in a flashback to the Middle Ages? So the movie can happen.

Word of this self-deletion gets to the Vatican, and they dispatch Father Burk and Sister Irrene who is not a fully fledged bride of Christ, but she is assigned anyway because her family is familiar with the area even though she has never been to Romania. They meet the playful, charming local, who isn’t local, Frenchie. He found the body and takes supplies to the abbey. After believing Irene was a nighttime conquest, he reluctantly takes the pair to the abbey. So far the pacing is good, but the dialogue especially from Burk is a bit clunky.

At the abbey they start to see things, hear things, and wonder if the ground is still holy. They are assigned quarters in the convent that has a radio? An electronic radio is the only electronics shown. You don’t see any powerline so how is this thing working? Anyway, Burk gets drawn out of the convent and into a graveyard by an apparition of a boy who died during one of his exorcisms. This leads to him being buried alive. Luckily Irene wakes and is able to find him with her holy vision. Digging up Burk they discover books of occult knowledge which give them Valak’s name although they do not know this demon is Valak presumably. Why, after being buried alive, and experiencing apparitions do they not call in reinforcements? An argument could be made that they are in the backwoods of Romania without a guide and no way back to the village. Fine, but I would have walked back.

Once things really start popping off and Irene realizes she has been talking with ghosts this whole time, they realize the demon is trying to escape and that the last nun chose self-deletion so she would not be possessed. Irene takes her vows to become a nun and they go to battle with Frenchie in tow having returned for the final act. Eventually, they get the relic and vanquish Valak by covering it in the blood of Christ, or so they think. As the group prepares to return to the village, it is shown that Frenchie has an inverted cross seemingly branded on the back of his neck. In the parting scene Irene gives Frenchie a pack of tomato seeds since his dad was a tomato farmer, and Frenchie jokingly explains a life debt since he did save Irene’s life. Roll credits.

Overall, I did not think this movie was terrible, I also did not feel it was very scary. The dialogue was kind of clunky. The set design and cinematography were done well, and I would say the acting was pretty good. At best however, I am rating this a 2.5/5 average. This seems consistent with others as it has a 24% on the tomato meter with 35% audience score. IMDb rates it a 5.3/10 and it has a 46 on Metacritic.

According to Wikipedia (whose particular article has good sources) this movie grossed “$365.6 million against a production budget of $22 million, becoming the highest-grossing film in the [Conjuring] franchise.” Furthermore, it profited around $155 million.

Verdict: 2.5/5

Part Duex

As a sequel, it’s okay. There is a similar formula and story to the first. In fact, you don’t need to see the first to understand it. Normally that would be a good thing, showcasing a strong stand-alone movie, but not in this case. The first movie is referenced a lot and this is probably because the director assumed you do not remember it. For me, however, rewatching a movie in preparation for a sequel is part of the experience. It is not a beat for beat redo, but you can recognize some of the copy and past elements especially the climax.

This time the movie is directed by Michael Chaves and written by Ian Goldberg et al. As the story goes, Irene is a nun at a boarding school in France, and almost immediately we are introduced to Debra a too cool for school, cigarette smoking, to-be nun from Mississippi who had her house bunt down by white folk. I don’t care, and the story never gets me to care, nor is it brought up again, but at least they can check that DEI box. The Vatican shows up and requests Irene perform another miracle and fight the demon. Well, they don’t actually say that so much as they want her to find out what it wants. Most of the movie cuts between Irene and Debra parading though Europe on the trail of Valak and a second boarding school where Frenchie is staring in The Parent Trap part 2 Demonic Bugaloo. Effectively the movie has two “A” plots. While sleuthing, Irene comes across a magazine stand and thus the best scene in the whole movie. This scene was in the trailer, and I think it would have been better to have experienced it on the big screen first. As pages flip open Valak slowly rises from the ground manifesting in the images of the magazines done with practical effects. Bravo. Meanwhile shenanigans ensue as Sophie plays matchmaker between her mom and Frenchie, and Valak terrorizes and kills a few people. Thanks to some visions and deus ex librarian, Irene is able to work out that Valak is killing people who are descended from Saint Lucy – a blind saint with visions, who has been brought up or hinted at several times. Saint Lucy was killed by the pagans. They tried to burn her alive, but she would not burn so they cut out her eyes. Where could this lead, I wonder? Irene also figures out that the demon escaped Romania in Frenchie. Knowing who they are after and where to go Irene and Debra, who is just sort of there, race off to find the St. Lucy Relic and fight the demon. But why? Why not alert the Vatican or at the very least summon every priest in the parish to your assistance? There is not a ticking clock argument here as Valak is not good at finding relics, the blood of Christ relic eluded it for decades.

Anyway, they get to the boarding school, knock Frenchie out, tie him up, and locate the relic. After this the feces really hits the fan with an eight foot tall goat demon chasing students and Debra around, and Valak attempting to retrieve the relic but conveniently failing to kill anyone who might get in its way. Eventually Valak is successful in absorbing the relic’s power and all seems lost until the writer introduces a universe breaking mechanic. Let us remember the ending to the first movie: Irene uses the blood of Christ to defeat Valak. Here, she does not have the blood of Christ. However, she does have barrels upon barrels on vine. I have to hand it to the writer, this is a payoff to an earlier scene about parts of our faith being real only because we believe, specifically referencing communion. A short prayer later and all that wine is the literal blood of Christ. How does this break the universe? The writer just gave every exorcist a golden gun. The blood of Christ should be a top tear, finite resource that while it can defeat anything, can only be wielded by the most skillful, and is reserved for the worst-case scenario. That is how a magic system should work. Here however, the blood of Christ is an infinite resource that anyone who believes may summon and wield with a little vine. And thus, the day is saved.

My original reaction gave it a 2.5; it has dropped to a 2.0. Here is why. The dialogue did improve from the first movie, but the characters development did not. Irene is the only actual character that has an arch, and even it is flimsy. Irene goes from being a nun to a saint theoretically because she is related to Saint Lucy and having fully realized her potential is now Sister Saint Mary Sue. What about the other characters? Frenchie goes from being possessed to not possessed. The surrogate family who are not really characters, more plot devices, go from being a two-some to a three. Debra starts the movie not fully believing in the power of faith and is supposed to believe fully by the end, although it is not shown. Overall, Debra’s character, who was actually a foil like Father Burk, could have been cut along with the librarian who hand delivers the location of the relic and Valak’s motive. Furthermore, after watching the first movie, there seems to be a lot of copy and paste. The first movie starts with a crucifix spontaneously combusting and in the second it is a priest. Frenchie is the charming playful handyman/local fixer who is attracted to a beautiful woman. In the first Burk is led astray by a boy apparition, in the second the Reverend Mother is killed by a boy apparition. In the last act additional knowledge is pulled out of nowhere that is needed for the plot. Valak is defeated by the blood of Christ. There is more, but I will leave it there.

How did other people receive it? As of 9/17 IMDb has it at a 6.0/10, Metacritic is 47, and Rotten Tomatoes is rotten at 50% critic score but a 74% audience score. According to boxofficepro.com it is underperforming with only $56.5 million so far as opposed to the original making $85.1 million at the same point. Also, costing around 35-40 million dollars to make, it has almost broke even all things considered. You may say this is due to a post-COVID world where people don’t go to the cinema. Sadly, you might be correct. This is no excuse for mediocrity.

Verdict: 2.0/5

Sources
Operator Movie Reviews

September 8th, 2023

Initial Reaction & Review The Unbinding (2023)

I just got done watching The Unbinding and as my initial reaction I am giving it a 5/5. For what it is and what they appeared to have wanted it to be, they hit the mark.

I had not seen anything about this movie except for a single post on X, which was probably an ad. It looked interesting, and the release date was today 9/8. So, I was going to see it in the local cinema, only to find after closer inspection that today was the release date for streaming. That being said it is available for rent and purchase on Amazon (at a great price).

Non-Spoiler

It is wholly a documentary surrounding the introduction and subsequent activity of “the Crone” which is the idol depicted in the movie poster. This black wooden statue apparently was found by some hikers in the mountains of New York, taken, and began to terrorize the thief with knocks and physical manifestations.

All of the dialog was from interviews, except for a small section during a previous livestream where things got hairy with seemingly direct communication by two different entities. There was also footage from the end ritual. The rest seemed to be recreations of events. It is kind of funny that they mentioned the Michigan Paracon, which is an event I list on my calendar, and one I am going to attempt to make it to next year. Overall the editing and photography were done well.

The main people in the movie are Dana and Greg Newkirk who operate the Traveling Museum of the Paranormal and Occult which you can support with a membership. The movie was done by Planet Weird who, with the same people, produced Hellier (2019) a TV mini series which is free with Amazon Prime. It was already on my list to watch and now it is at the top of the list.

***WARNING – SPOILERS AHEAD***

So, what happens in this movie? After the hiker found the object he experienced enough activity that he could not sleep in his own house. Someone posted on the paranormal subreddit asking what to do and eventually the Newkirks got brought into it. Unsure of how to proceed, the idol was mailed to the museum. When the activity started to manifest with the Newkirks, they began their investigation. The activity included physical manifestations and materialization of footprints with dirt, wet footprints were no water had been, moisture with no apparent source, and movement. The initial repots from the hiker were that the idol would appear in different rooms as well as it apparently having been thrown and impacted the wall hard enough to crack the sheetrock. Movement reported by the Newkirks stated it moved from a coffee table to under a TV stand and as Greg went to retrieve it Dana caught the TV from falling on him as though it had been pushed by an unseen force. Additionally, the idol had supposedly ripped the figure of Jesus from a crucifix with enough force it broke an arm off, but left the crucifix hanging by one nail. This along with banging noises, and a shadowy apparition of a wet crone would make a believer out of most.

Attempts to study the idol found high EMF and high strangeness from an attempted 3D scan which seemed to manipulate itself. What appeared to be fingers reached out of the idol when the artist removed the head in the 3D software. Note that this was on his computer after the fact and well after the object had been scanned and removed from his presence.

The communication was captured on a Halloween livestream (although I could not find a recording on the Planet Weird YouTube channel). They used the Estes method whereby the one person would wear headphones hooked to a spirit box while blindfolded. This eliminated any interaction from the questioners leaving the first person to act as a mouthpiece repeating whatever came over the spirit box. The communication seemed direct and intelligent.

The team finally shed a little light on the subject when they spoke with a specialist on Russian and Slovak folklore. They found this lead due to the fact that there was a population of Ukrainians in the area where the idol was found. The nails in its eyes and line used to make the noose where traced back to possibly the local Walmart.

In the end, they performed an unbinding ritual and released whatever was in the idol which was concluded to be possibly an embodiment of the Slovak deity Mokosh (left and center) or a Kikimora (right) a companion of Mokosh “who can be identified by her wet foot prints” 1:27:48.

Mokosh symbol Wiki Commons

Obec Mokošín- Bohyně Mokoš Wiki Commons

Illustration of a Kikimora (1934) by Ivan Bilibin Wiki Commons

They said one mystery remains, and that is who is Brother Biddum? However, this is where I would have done a deeper investigation if possible to reach out to the communities and try to track down possibly who did what to this idol or perhaps who is missing a Mokosh idol? But that could be bottomless rabbit hole.

At the very least it begs the question of how was the entity able to manipulate the 3D scan while not present as though the scan file itself was possessed? Also, what or who was bound in/to the idol? This incident has peaked my interest and I may have to do a deep dive.

Let me know what you think in the comments below if you have seen it and what your thought about the movie. Until next time, keep searching in the darkness.