Let's lift The Veil ya'll (that was so cheesey I'm sorry)

After an absolutely terrible gypsy cursed filled week, I decided today I would watch a tone of horror movies to recover. Browsing through the horror section of itunes this morning I watched a trailer for a movie called The Veil which just came out and which I'd heard nothing of. But it was about a cult, and it starred Lily Rabe which are two of my favorite things so I delved right in.

Tony is keeping me company watching movies today but was not much help after passing out halfway through the first one.

THE VEIL

The Veil, directed by Phil Joanou and released through good old Blumhouse, stars Jessica Alba, Lily Rabe, and Thomas Jane. It was released a few days ago on the 19th through video on demand only.

It's a film that uses real life mixed with documentary aspects, as one of the main characters Maggie (Alba) is filming a documentary about the cult Heaven's Veil, who 30 years ago committed mass suicide. Maggie's father was one of the FBI guys who first encountered the scene and so she has an emotional tie to the tragedy. She seeks out Sarah Hope (Rabe), who at 6 years old was the only surviving person of this horrific event. Maggie, looking through old crime scene photos, discovers that the cult leader Jim Jacobs filmed the whole thing but the tapes have never shown up. With the help of Sarah and the documentary crew, they hope to find the tapes at the scene of the crime - an old piece of farm land.

Originally this movie was supposed to be found footage but thank god the people involved came to their senses and decided against it, citing that found footage had run its course. YAS GAWD.

What I liked about the film.....
Lily Rabe, of course, who is an incredibly talented actress, especially with emotional roles. And this movie was no different. Jessica Alba was also pretty great surprisingly. I adored the creepy sets and the coloring of the film. The ghosts that show up in the film are very realistic and very creepy, only really being shown through a camera lens or on a computer screen. And not in a paranormal activity way.
Thomas Jane's portrayal of the cult leader, while over the top, fit perfectly in with this film. Sometimes it's better to play cult leaders off as very subtle, creepy, but demanding, much like in The Sacrament, but this movie called for an over the top, loud preaching mad man, and Jane pulled that off. 

What I didn't like about the film.....
Can we stop using Jim Jones as inspiration? Feels like every cult themed horror film only uses Jim Jones and his mass suicide as their inspiration for the story. Ya'll know there's a bunch of creepy cults out there? Or idk, come up with your own ideas? I love cults, I think they are absolutely terrifying, and while I'm happy horror is embracing this, I am getting sick of the Jim Jones vibe.
I also felt like the story got a little wrapped up in itself. I found myself getting confused at the end, and in an annoyed way. I just wanted to understand what was going on, but it was just a bunch of scenes without much explanation. But, up until the ending, the movie was pretty fucking terrific.

I mean, I'm not gonna write home about it or anything, but I did enjoy it, and if you're looking for a creepy casual cult themed horror film...go with The Sacrament. Then if you've already watched that one, watch this one! Why not?

7/10

Right, I'm off to watch the next horror film, which I haven't actually decided which one yet, but my itunes wishlist is getting longer and waits for no one.

Stay spooky ya'll!
Here's to a horrific ending (in the best way) to an awful (in the worst way) week!