Death of a Vlogger
The U.K. faux documentary Death of a Vlogger uses the possibility of supernatural occurrences to explore the pitfalls of today’s social media world. It does so in a manner that is consistently entertaining, and though it offers some criticism on both internet fame seekers and the often callous audiences that follow them, it never gets too heavy-handed in its messages. Writer/director Graham Hughes stars as Graham, a YouTube personality who begins experiencing strange incidents in his flat after he has laser eye surgery. He is joined by his friend Erin (Annabel Logan), and the duo further explores the possibilities of what might be taking place in his home. Eventually, paranormal investigator Steve (Paddy Kondracki) comes aboard, seeking as many new likes and follows as he can get, only for the trio to be called out on their story by fellow YouTuber and skeptic Alice (Joma West). Hughes leads a strong cast, and he helms the film splendidly. He imbues the story with some well-earned surprises and “gotcha” moments, and though he does rely on some horror tropes such as the type of long-haired ghost often found in Asian horror, he offers a fresh take on exploring internet addiction — from trolling to shaming and beyond — with a clever fright-fare angle.
The Cleansing Hour
U.S. entry The Cleansing Hour also takes on internet fame-seeking, but in a manner much more heavily grounded in special effects and straight-ahead horror. It also serves up a solid exorcism story, a challenge not easily met with the high bar set by the classic The Exorcist as the basis of comparison for such films. Director Damien LeVeck — who cowrote the screenplay with Aaron Horwitz —brings his superb 2016 short of the same name to wonderfully realized feature-length life, as Father Max (Ryan Guzman) fleeces his online followers with staged exorcisms presented as real, and offers show-related merchandise such as prayer cloths for sale, as well. Aided in great part by his childhood friend and now tech specialist Drew (Kyle Gallner), Max spends much of his off-screen time partying and picking up groupies. When a scheduled guest cast member doesn’t show up for a livecast, Drew coaxes his girlfriend Lane (Alex Angelis) into filling in as the possessed person of the day. Max, Drew, and their fellow crew members soon finding themselves pitted against a powerful demon that has taken possession of Lane. The Cleansing Hour looks fantastic, from Jean-Phillipe Bernier’s cinematography to the splendid practical effects and makeup work, to the impressive CG effects. All of the cast members turn in solid performances, with Guzman and Gallner playing off of each other marvelously. Angelis is outstanding as Lane, playing the character first as a mild-mannered and supportive young woman, and then giving an eerie, all-in turn as a possessed person, aided wonderfully by Tara Karsian’s voice-acting performance. Angelis gives a fabulous physical performance with equally great facial expressions, never crossing the line into scenery chewing. LeVeck here fulfills the promise he showed with the short-film version of The Cleansing Hour, crafting a highly effective debut feature.
Death of a Vlogger and The Cleansing Hour screened at Arrow Video FrightFest Glasgow, which ran March 5th –7th at Glasgow Film Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland. The Cleansing Hour comes to Shudder in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Ireland later this year.
