Movie Review: The Return

 
 
Set to be released this month, The Return follows Rodger who returns home from college with his best friend and girlfriend to settle the affairs of his recently deceased father. Soon they begin to witness strange and unsettling occurrences in the house. Rodger is plagued by strange childhood memories about being haunting by a ghostly presence. These memories boil over into reality culminating in an intense confirmation as a dark secret is uncovered.
 
 
This indie film will have you convinced that you know what is happening. However, what’s really going on is very different. The twist is a nice touch and completely changes the film’s trajectory and makes the story much more interesting. It’s something we haven’t seen a million times.
 
 
Richard Harmon delivers a convincing portrait of a young man haunted by too much death and his desperation to discover the truth behind his and his family’s past. I did find several of his emotional reactions a bit odd. You would think several of the deaths would have an effect on him, but he never shows many emotions in the film.  Echo Anderson and Sara Thompson did well enough in their roles but it was pretty evident that Harmon’s character received the most attention.
 
 
There are two entities in the film, the one that features practical effects was well done, creepy, and effective. However, the entity that was one-hundred-percent CGI was left lacking. It’s ugly (not in a good way) and it looks cheap. It’s pretty obvious what they were going for, but it fails to impress.
 
 
Director BJ Verot, who co-wrote the script with Ken Janssens, did a good job of bringing the script to life. We get an interesting story, nice twists, and a fresh take on the paranormal subgenre. While it has its faults, The Return is actually a pretty good flick. It premieres on August 10, 2021, On-Demand and Digital from Uncork’d Entertainment.