Nothing Left to Fear   Starring: Anne Heche, James Tupper, Ethan Peck and Jennifer Stone Distributor: Anchor Bay RRP: £19.99 Certificate: 15 Release Date: 17 February 2014

A couple, along with their two teenage girls and younger boy, move away from everything they know when the father, Dan Bramford, acquires the position of pastor for the rural town of Stull. At first, everything seems idyllic. They move into a beautiful large house, in a pleasant neighbourhood, and are welcomed in church by the community and the retiring pastor. The eldest girl befriends a man who acts somewhat aloof. It is only after the younger daughter is abducted and possessed by a malevolent evil spirit that they begin to realise the town harbours a dark secret. But with all the residents certain they are acting on God’s will, can the family survive the life-sucking force that is their own daughter...?

The first obvious fact about this film is that, like a handful of other American movies in recent years, it blatantly steals the black eyes and mouth and the tendril-like veins moving across the walls and floor from the Japanese and East Asian supernatural horror releases of the mid-to-late 2000s. Such is the steal that even the spider-like crawl and the creepy throaty sound are lifted directly from The Grudge. However, this defies one of the general conventions of American films by not having the unlikely hero overcome insurmountable odds. The whole tone is pretty bleak and depressing, as the consensus of the townsfolk is this is God’s little army, and they will willingly sacrifice a chosen one (and anyone else who gets in the way) if it means periodically returning a creature of hell to the pit. Actually, the inference is that if it escapes beyond the town, the Devil will gain dominance over the Earth.

It’s worth pointing out – at least from my point of view, being a Rock and Metal listener – that this is the first horror release from Slasher Film Productions, which is co-owned by Slash, the ex-Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist. This being the case, it’s not surprising he also has a hand in the music, along with Nicholas O’Toole. I must say, Slash is rather restrained.

This is a well-made film, but it does move unerringly in one direction. Things are never going to go entirely according to plan, even if the whole town is planning it. There is always the random factor, and it would have been refreshing if something unexpected happened. A bright light near the conclusion suggests that God really does have a hand in what is happening, so perhaps the family could have prevented the necessary events, thinking, naturally, they were acting for good, but unknowingly scupper God’s plan to protect the Earth from evil.

6

Ty Power