Indie Film Review “The Haunting Of Prince Dom Pedro” Spoof and Circumstance takes a ghostly, hilarious turn
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The days of antiquity. Can it not be confirmed that our personal pasts, even our very own culture’s bygone times, somehow don’t get treated as they should? When the world is moving in fast forward, it remains hard enough to maintain the PRESENT, much less dwell on what has already come and gone. However, when we are not willing to pay homage to where we came from and those who forged the way, the ramifications might just be devastating!
Jayden (Rachel O’Day), Kayden (Madeline Sclichter), Payden (Angela Kuzel), and Hayden (Jaden Wesley Brown) are four friends and students taking a Latin American History class at Mors High School that truly means nothing to them. The thought of giving any form of due diligence or acknowledgement to the history of Brazil’s most illustrious liberator, Prince Dom Pedro (voiced by André Santana), is boring and worthless. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting quartet, the restless, now-maligned spirit of said Prince just won’t settle for ANY disrespect…..¡y Punto!!
Next, my Mind:
Folks, if I alone attempted to provide the FULL title to this new indie feature film from writer/director/executive producer/cinematographer Don Swanson and writer/executive producer Joe Fishel, it would seem to threaten to take up the rest of this opening paragraph. But, make no mistake, “The Haunting Of Prince Dom Pedro de Alcântara Francisco António João Carlos Xavier de Paula Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim” (THERE. Happy??) is no run-of-the-mill indie effort, but rather a wholly entertaining, beautifully uncomplicated, laugh-inducing exercise in pure, sit-back-and-enjoy FUN, which is EXACTLY what the doctor ordered when you only wish to actually RELAX, consistently snicker, and appreciate the unadulterated wonder of indie film, those behind it, and the flurry of highly requisite whimsey a project like this elicits with inescapable ease.
 
 
With a splendidly written and executed combination of waggishly conveyed farcical, slapstick, situational, and satirical styles of comedy, the narrative that sees four hilariously unwitting high school students having to face the (jocular but still deadly!) malevolent spirit music after making a total mockery of Brazil’s most celebrated liberator in their Latin American History class NEVER remotely takes itself seriously. THAT, of course, is the MAGIC of it all! This is the fashion of straightforward silliness and genre-lampooning amusement which, as stated above, really IS a breath of fresh air in a current societal, heck, global atmosphere that desperately NEEDS to SMILE and sniggle (YES, that IS a word. Look it up.) again! The pacing is perfect, and, as a great comedy should be, times in at a brisk eighty-three minutes. It maintains your attention with the constant goofiness, light air about it, and overall CLEAN tone and content, which is something NOT always common in contemporary comedies, especially these days.
Amidst all the frivolity, and as I almost always point out when it comes to independent cinema, there’s honestly a wealth of thematic facets on display throughout the film, even when they are pretty exclusively all presented for comical reasons. Covering basic annoyances we all recall about being in totally uninteresting classes in high school, the seemingly endless speeches by school principals, and (purposefully) exaggerated teachers and their over-the-top intensity about a subject they hold dear or general perspectives on things, to more hilariously pointed jabs at today’s attention-deficit-phone-driven youth, geek/pop culture, texting, senior homes, memorial services, the spelling of people’s names, lack of respect for history, sense of entitlement, nefarious secrets, ignoring legitimate warnings of impending peril, and curses, digging for answers, plus multiple classic horror film tropes, it’s such an exhibition of plain wacky insanity one cannot help but be drawn in for the crazy ride it offers. One COULD take some life lessons from this, frankly. But….who wants THAT?? Here anyway, NOT I.
 
 
The finale is magnificently, and expectedly, apropos, setting things up for possibilities of further exploration in the future. What also then makes this watch all worthwhile is being entreated to equally nutty film trailers before the main film AND getting a short film intermixed INTO the proceedings through footage of and references to as the primary effort moves along. Quite unique and decidedly riotous. You’ll see. A very sizable ensemble would be the operative phrase when it comes to the film’s cast, and I say in advance that I genuinely respect EVERYONE who was a part of this, even if I will NOT be able to go into EVERYONE’s performance and/or appearance (Encyclopedia Britannica, anyone? Wait, WHAT is an encyclopedia, you ask? Well, it’s a series of books….oh, never mind!). But, this critic is being very serious that it often “takes a village” to make indie film, and hence all the actors to me are important. NO small parts, in my opinion.
O’Day is the prime portrait of exuberant, intelligent, beautiful, and mostly distracted (unless trying to ascertain a killer ghost who’s after her and her friends!) youth through her role here as Jayden. Initially oblivious yet acutely aware of something definitely off-kilter when she and her pals are being stalked by the ghost of the historical figure they’ve chosen to disregard, Jayden acts as the delightfully pleasant Queen Bee to try and discover what’s what. However, when things start turning ugly and the body count begins to arise, can Jayden become that catalyst for stopping the force that’s pursuing them…or fall victim to it? The undeniable excellence in O’Day’s performance is precisely HOW credibly and merrily she plays the character, navigating Jayden through the myriad of humorous instances the she faces with infectiously charming poise, which really IS thanks to the actress’ skills at creating the character and having very conspicuous glee in doing it.
 
 
Sclichter likewise exudes the kind of bubbly, vibrant, and energetic attitude that befits her role as Kayden, one of Jayden’s best friends who sometimes believes she’s hearing strange echoes with alarming frequency when the spirit of Dom Pedro begins his reign of terror against the foursome in question. Standing firmly beside her bestie when the events become unnerving and flat out dangerous, Kayden’s persistent push to unravel the mystery they’re encountering is unwavering and blatantly rib-tickling when she must try and keep Jayden on track while not allowing herself to “wander” from the goal they have to end the curse hounding them. It’s that similar magnitude of plucky amiability and almost mischievous allure that Sclichter brings to her performance that makes you so easily endeared to and utterly enchanted by her character. Again, you can clearly imagine how much joy Sclichter had playing Kayden.
Kuzel is yet another source for complete hilarity through her performance as Payden, the third member of our intrepid four who tends to lean towards the definition of “cheerfully clueless” when the dilemma they are all confronting keeps rearing its head and her overall span of comprehension of it is blithely skewed. It’s simply a joy to watch Kuzel bring Payden to life with such mirth. Brown arrives as Hayden (notice a certain…trend…here in names? Nah. I guess it’s just me.), the fourth spoke in the friendship wheel here who comes across as the jock-with-a-nerd-side-and-a-heart in demeanor and who, like the others, is both perplexed and vexed by the apparition chasing after them due to snarky comments and historical ignorance. As with the other three as well, can Hayden make it through the ordeal alive? It’s a more understated approach that Brown utilizes for the character, but it WORKS, and works WELL as another character we totally adore.
Santana goes off screen to provide the distinctly irascible, glibly sardonic voice of Dom Pedro, which is marvelously jocose in its actual seriousness, excellent for the disembodied orations and jibes we hear the entity speak when accosting the main characters. Primary supporting turns arrive from Christopher Kai as Mr. D’Ath, the student’s Latin American History teacher whose ominous warnings about history make for a superb laugh but also showcases that he may not exactly be a good man, Joe Fishel in multiple roles, one as an exceptionally off kilter teacher Señor Clarke and also as the physical manifestation of Dom Pedro, and Allen Enlow, in another “voice only” turn, as the high school’s absurdly witless principal known for waxing on…and on…and on whenever he speaks during, well, anything!
Additional supporting turns come from Anthony Babeaux, Joseph Agresti, Jess Uhler, Benjamin Sheeler, Marsha Mayhak, Alan Silva, Angela Katherine Baker, Ron Lake, Miriam Elise, Kevin Mahler, Brian Ceponis, Lorin Foster, Jacorey Guidry, Bruno Andrade, Lenni May, Jim Cummins Jr., Kathy A. Bates, John Augustin, Gianni DelMastro, Emma Perman, and Raja Krishnaswamy who all make the most of their screen time with plenty of guffaws to be had through their characters. So, in total, “The Haunting Of Dom Pedro” (aka: “The Haunting Of Prince Dom Pedro de Alcântara Francisco António João Carlos Xavier de Paula Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim”) is a rousing adventure in all-encompassing, pleasingly accessible, frighteningly relatable (??) parody that smartly ushers you into a arena of engaging levity, making you forget the world’s troubles for at least a little while, and reminding us just how imperative it is to LAUGH, loud, proud, and in total contentment.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
