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First, the Recap:
Phantoms of days gone by and the misguided actions of others that bring about storms of retribution. Can the ghosts of our checkered pasts come back to haunt us? When steps were taken during a certain time that seemed “righteous”, only now to reveal shattered notions of what’s actually real or what’s legitimately right vs. wrong? Is there truly a possibility that these misdeeds, even if carried out long ago, arrive in the present to take their revenge on those with ties to their origin? It is modern day Pungo, Virginia, and for a young, up-and-coming astrophysicist named Grace Sherwood (Cathryn Benson), this will be a line of queries that become all too real when the area’s jaded story involving a convicted witch might prove more truthful than ever believed. Looking for the answers, Grace and two contractors, Bud (Mark Hyde) and Sam (Matthew Sharpe), embark on an otherworldly adventure that will bring them face to face with an old evil bent on rectifying history.
Next, my Mind:
There has to be a discernible amount of purposeful logic in the execution of certain styles of horror or fantasy films for this critic to completely engage, perhaps even more so when the two genres are melded together to form a grander whole. While this fusion is what we find being strived for in the 101-minute indie feature film from writer/director/producer/cinematographer/editor Philip J. Cook and producer Mark Hyde, the overall success of how it’s pulled off was unfortunately left a little bit in question for me. I think it might stem from the nature of how the morphing from straight-up creepy horror into an amalgamation of fantastical and (in admittedly small amounts) sci-fi elements was attempted in such a manner as to cause a loss of the eerie facets the film began with, instead replaced with, dare I say, an unnecessary campiness that subsequently stole away my grander joy of viewing it.
Based on recorded events in Pungo, VA history and the recent pardoning by the State’s governor of an accused “witch” 300 years in the community’s past, the narrative plunges us into the life of a young woman with an unexpectedly haunted ancestry moving to the town and into the home where said witch resided back in the 1700’s. When contractors are hired to renovate the house, unsettling supernatural occurrences begin to unfold, and soon they all find themselves drawn into a scheme that suddenly presents us with freaky acolytes, creatures out of myth, trans-dimensional travel, and definitively unlikely allies, all culminating into the ultimate showdown with the source behind it that will bring answers to many questions while also aiding in Grace finding peace with her own family’s past–she hopes. Again, it all commences with the exact kind of ominous atmosphere that I LOVE in any horror project taking this thematic approach but then sadly, for me anyway, devolves into much less than I anticipated.
I can fully appreciate the filmmaker wishing to take this event and nurture it into a film, as the material in itself is ripe for it. But, I guess I just didn’t see the need to build it into MORE than it really needed to be, again referencing the fantasy and sci-fi directions the story delivers. It was working perfectly and wonderfully as an uncomplicated chill fest, and those aspects as they DO appear throughout the film DID have the impact on me that I look and long for. It simply felt a bit–forced–in expanding the tale to a point of almost momentary farce rather than maintaining the ominous/sinister aura that serves these efforts so well (ie: for me, “The Conjuring”, “Lights Out”, “Salem”, “Hereditary”). Visually the film likewise starts out so apropos in its utilization of mainly practical, but also special, effects required to bring the menace of the film’s primary antagonist to life, with the intended “jump/flinch/just freak you out” moments coming about beautifully for me. However, when the more fantasy/sci-fi visuals came, it really cheapened things just a tad.
As can sometimes occur when the film itself may not always be striking me as a whole, the acting is still something I can get behind efforts made, as it is NO easy thing to be in front of a camera and try to be believable. Here, firstly, Benson carries off her role (double duty, actually. Watch the film) with adequately grounded and fully accessible ease as Grace Sherwood, a bright star in the world of astrophysics who ends up slightly out of her depth when a force from her family’s past decides it’s time to show up and say “Hi!”. Using her knowledge to potentially glean the endgame of her ancestor’s assault on her and the need to claim her along the way, Grace handles herself with resolve and intent rather than being a token “damsel in distress”, and Benson provides a performance that suits the film’s needs solidly, even if at certain moments certain emotionally charged expression from the character feels JUST a little hollow. Though, she does emote with very tangible, appropriately malevolent intensity as the certain other entity portrayed in the story (I said, watch the film).
Hyde brings forth a very forthright level of deliberate gravitas through his role as Bud, a former special forces operator turned housing contractor and a man who’s own inner demons and a particular ghost from his past play constant havoc with his ability to work the current job he’s been hired to do at Grace’s new abode. At first trying to dismiss the happenings as simply being a part of his own traumatic experiences and anguished mind, events soon become far too real to be anything BUT actuality. From that point, his instincts and bravery kick in, becoming the reluctant hero he’s to become. Hyde enacts the fluctuating dynamics of Bud’s demeanor firmly enough throughout, but even he had instances where the character came across just a bit wooden for me, somehow lacking a complete conviction in how I would see the character act. Overall, though, Hyde does a fine job bringing Bud to life.
Finally, Sharpe exudes that mix of both tortured soul and, shall I just say it, comic relief during specific stages throughout the film in his role as Sam, a former firefighter also battling the specters of his past that now have to find themselves replaced with a spirit much more concrete and bent on destroying anything trying to prevent its goals from being achieved. Even as those initial encounters with evil come about, Sam still tends to try and make some form of lightheartedness out of the circumstance, though coming through with total seriousness when called upon and/or faced with further dire situations. Add in his fun little flirtations with Grace, and it does make the character be one to root for and find mirth in. Sharpe certainly nails these aspects of Sam well, with that style of self-assured bravado that befits the character. But given what I was hoping for from the film as a whole, the character’s humor kind of threw me off a bit often, wanting things to stay more foreboding.
Supporting turns arrive from Conor Marsh as the aforementioned “unlikely ally” above (WATCH the film to see!), Rick Jermain as Caleb, the leader of evil’s acolytes, Justin Sisk as Grace’s seedy guy pal Chad who becomes a true example of “wrong place, wrong time!”, Florence Babatunde as Grace’s best friend Cathy, and Morgan Flanagan as Beth, a deeply treasured piece of Bud’s history and who has one wildly freaky scene in particular. Additional turns come through Mark Posey, Kurt McMillan, Trevor McMillan, Talia Schofer, Edyta Cousens, Ariel Edler, and Norman Gagnon among others. So, in total, “Pungo-A Witch’s Tale” is an example of both the stalwart tenacity of indie film and the stories, based on true events or not, it endeavors to bring to life but also an effort that had a certain potential that, I felt, it came up short in presenting. This is not a bad thing, though, for as a project that really is purely for entertainment, it will appeal. For me, I was hoping for something that would fulfill that quotient, only in a little deeper and more consistently baleful manner.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
