Friday, April 2, 2021

The Unholy Review: An Interesting Premise Let Down By Poor CG

Jeffrey Dean Morgan	...	Gerry Fenn Cary Elwes	Cary Elwes	...	Bishop Gyles William Sadler	William Sadler	...	Father Hagan Katie Aselton	Katie Aselton	...	Dr. Natalie Gates Christine Adams	Christine Adams	...	Monica Slade Cricket Brown	Cricket Brown	...	Alice Diogo Morgado	Diogo Morgado	...	Monsignor Delgarde Marina Mazepa	Marina Mazepa	...	Mary Elnor Gisela Chipe	Gisela Chipe	...	Sofia Walsh Janelle Feigley	Janelle Feigley	...	Photographer / Reporter Kiara Pichardo	Kiara Pichardo	...	Faithful #3

Release date: April 2, 2021
Running time: 100 minutes
Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Cricket Brown, William Sadler 
Director: Evan Spiliotopoulos

A hearing-impaired girl is visited by the Virgin Mary and can suddenly hear, speak, and heal the sick. As people flock to witness her miracles, terrifying events unfold. Are they the work of the Virgin Mary or something much more sinister?

Dustin Tucker	...	Dan Walsh Bill Thorpe	Bill Thorpe	...	Father Prescott Celeste Oliva	Celeste Oliva	...	Librarian Danny Corbo	Danny Corbo	...	Toby Walsh Bates Wilder	Bates Wilder		 Sonny Corbo	Sonny Corbo	...	Toby Walsh Julia Bechler	Julia Bechler	...	Nun Madison LaPlante	Madison LaPlante	...	Teenage Girl Charlie Thurston	Charlie Thurston	...	Nervous Man Hannah Jane Doyon	Hannah Jane Doyon	...	Woman #2 Amber Sage	Amber Sage	...	Church Attendee (as Amber Stoller) Mere Davis	Mere Davis	...	Faithful #1 Nate Luis Silva	Nate Luis Silva	...	Photographer David Matthew Jenkins	David Matthew Jenkins	...	Security Guard Cassidy Neal	Cassidy Neal	...	Grace Father Kevin Fennessy	Kevin Fennessy	...	Faithful #4 Andrea Athanassiou	Andrea Athanassiou	...	Woman #1
The Unholy has an interesting premise and a good setup.  I liked the religious angle and the ideas behind it; where some miracles and the fervor to believe grip a small town.  This film is propelled by its two strong leads in Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Cricket Brown.  Jeffrey Dean Morgan really carries the film with his performance, showing a conflicted and down on his luck reporter who stumbles into the biggest story of his career.  He is relatable and mysterious, the perfect protagonist for a horror film.  And Cricket Brown as Alice is another bright spot for this film.  I loved her character, so charming and committed to her faith and the newfound miracles that she is able to perform.  And the movie does have an overarching sense of dread that occurs early on, which is highlighted in its setting and music.  The film lets you know early on that there is more to this story than originally thought, and I liked the slow progression as you learn more about this.

But The Unholy's downfall, which is the undoing of some horror films, is that the CG is, frankly, very bad.  The film uses a lot of CG for the supernatural aspects of it, and these break the suspension of disbelief as soon as you see it.  Even the initial minor effects are jarring to see and this just caused any scare factor to wash away.  It is tough to be worried when you are laughing at the most pivotal scenes.  And the CG also affects other aspects, like in a scene where the film inexplicable slows down for a CG moment.  I couldn't tell if this was for dramatic effect or not, but it just looked bad.  Additionally, the film also deals with the commercialization and monetization of religion, which is an interesting topic and one that I love exploring in movies.  But the characters that the film uses to delve into this feel a little overdone; they feel almost made for TV and are in sharp contrast to the more natural and believable main characters.  These make for a conflicted experience; the strong leads and good setting offset by the disbelief breaking CG and less believable side characters.  The Unholy is not a bad way to spend an evening, but maybe wait until you can rent or stream it before you do.  

The Unholy has great lead performances, an interesting story, and a good sense of dread, but is let down by CG that breaks the suspension of disbelief and limits any scare factor.

Rent it.

Rob Lévesque	...	City Official JJ Wright	JJ Wright	...	Talk Show Host Derek Mellor	Derek Mellor	...	Security Guard Stephen O'Neil Martin	Stephen O'Neil Martin	...	Atheist man Kevin Daigneault	Kevin Daigneault	...	Security Enforcement Officer Michael Strauss	Michael Strauss	...	Max Jeff Bouffard	Jeff Bouffard	...	Bansfield Police Officer Mike Wendt	Mike Wendt	...	Blacksmith Tim Estiloz	Tim Estiloz	...	Correspondent #1 Eliane Brick	Eliane Brick	...	Self - Service Crowd Alexander M. Akerblom	Alexander M. Akerblom	...	Church Atendee Jamie Lea Babineau	Jamie Lea Babineau	...	Church believer (uncredited) Maximo Duran	Maximo Duran	...	Audience Member (uncredited) Ian Dylan Hunt	Ian Dylan Hunt	...	Pub Local (uncredited) Catherine Hunter	Catherine Hunter	...	Congregation Member (uncredited) Elbert Kim	Elbert Kim	...	Security Guard (uncredited) Adrian M. Mompoint	Adrian M. Mompoint	...	Camera Crew (uncredited) Matt Soscia	Matt Soscia	...	Congregation Member (uncredited)  Sam Raimi
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The Unholy is available in theaters nationwide on April 2, 2021.  For showtimes, click here

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