If you've been wanting more witch horror just in time for spooky season, you are in luck.
Beezel, now streaming on video on demand, not only gives us witch lovers something new, but terrifyingly so. The film is almost a timeline of the history of a witch that lives in the basement of a house, feeding on its occupants. We learn about how the witch works and uncover the lore of her existence through the development of the story and its characters that spans over decades.
It opens much like Sinister (2012). We are watching eerie events unfold on Super 8 film, not really sure what it all means until there is a child being mutilated by someone that looks like his mother under the bathroom cabinet. Yup. Beezel does not care about the kids in this film, as you'll find in a very shocking scene later on in the final sequence. But does it go far enough?
Photo Credit: Epic Pictures
Beezel features visual and practical effects that are extremely well done, especially the creature design. As more people are brought into the house to be fed on, I do wish the kills were a bit more brutal. And many of them happen off screen, which is probably due to its budget constraints. But it doesn't hold back in giving us plenty of frights along the way.
The scares in this film are well crafted and effective. I am still thinking about one scene in particular that had me jumping out of my skin. Similar to films like Paranormal Activity (2007), the characters use handheld cameras and tape recordings to get footage of what they are experiencing. Beezel director, Aaron Fradkin, uses these mediums to level up the tension and suspense. Because of course there's something lingering in the background of that film footage you just took!
At its core, this is a simple story but its told in a very unique and original way and honestly, we need more witch horror! Definitely add this one to your spooky season watchlist.
