A few days ago Blumhouse released their new supernatural film, The Veil, on Netflix streaming. I won’t lie I have been looking forward to The Veil since I first heard about it. Last night I finally got the chance to watch it.
The film stars Jessica Alba, Thomas Jane (The Mist), Reid Scott (Veep), Lenny Jacobson (Jobs), Chet Grissom (The Crazies), David Sullivan (Argo) and Meegan Warner and Lily Rabe of American Horror Story. The film, directed by Phil Joanou, follows the lone survivor (Rabe) of a cult’s mass suicide. Thirty years later she returns to the scene with a documentary film crew to confront the trauma that scarred her for life. The group has no idea about the force they are about to face.
Where to begin? Let’s start with the cinematography, it was fantastic. They did a fantastic job of capturing the the eeriness of the location and the filth and grit of the long abandoned homes and buildings. Jessica Alba and Lily Rabe did a great job with both of their roles. Rabe really made me sympathize with her character, until the film’s final scenes. Unfortunately, that’s where my compliments come to an end.
The rest of the film was a let down. Alba and Rabe’s roles were the only decent acting in the film. The villain and cult leader, Jim, played by Thomas Jane, was beyond ridiculous. He was clearly based on Jim Jones, but came across more like a stoned idiot, not a charismatic leader. The acting was so over the top that I could barely stand to watch him. They took Jim Jones and the massacre at Jonestown and tried to revamp it as a supernatural story, and it failed miserably.
On top off all of that, it only had one decent scary moment. The Veil was so predictable an eleven year-old could guess what would happen next. If you’re looking for a decent scary movie to watch, this one isn’t it. I now understand why it went straight to video.
