Pyewacket (2017)

Directed by Adam McDonald (2014’s Backcountry), Pyewacket tells the story of a teenage girl, who after the recent loss of her father, has trouble getting along with her mourning mother, who is clearly struggling with her new reality. While the drama element of this film is its strength, at the time of viewing, I could not help but feel that there were glaring weaknesses there. Mrs. Reyes, a very strong performance by Laurie Holden (Silent Hill, The Mist, TV’s The Walking Dead), seems unable to handle the loss of her husband to the point where she neglects her daughter, then makes decisions which can clearly mess with her daughter’s life (who also just lost her father), without taking her welfare into consideration at all. The daughter, Leah, in a capable and promising performance from Nicole Munoz (Center Stage: Turn It Up), also has very little patience for her mother and once forced to move a little further out of town which makes seeing her friends more difficult, it takes pretty much one argument for her to cast a spell and summon a demon to kill her mother. Pretty standard behaviour by both, right? 

This is where the script appears to have faltered, yet when a certain interpretation is put upon the film, the strange behaviours by the two actually fall into the place and fit the narrative almost perfectly. Unfortunately, I cannot share my full interpretation of the film as it would potentially be a huge spoiler/reveal. So, while some plot elements in this film can seem like a weakness in the script during the viewing process, they are quickly corrected if reaching certain conclusions at the end, so my advice is to stick with it.

The supporting cast also equate themselves nicely here. Chloe Rose gives a very credible performance as Janice, Leah’s best friend, and has one scene in particular that shows her immense level of skill. Eric Osborne also does well as Aaron, the lovesick almost-boyfriend of Leah’s. The romantic element of the plot with a healthy dose of “will they or won’t they?” was a very nice touch that added some depth. Romeo Carere, playing Rob, rounded out the group of friends, as the more level-headed and voice of conscience in the group, yet his role was smaller than the rest.

The amazing musical score by Lee Malia fits perfectly and takes the viewer on a ride filled with tension and dread. It plays like an additional, very important, character in the film and its importance cannot be undermined. It essentially gives us the presence of Pyewacket even when the entity is not necessarily seen. The cinematography by Christian Bielz is also note-worthy and is used in many spots here to tell the story that is not necessarily told by the other elements.

Even though many horror fans might have several complaints about this film, I personally hope that Adam McDonald continues along this path and makes more psychological horror/drama gems that will be on par with this one, or even surpass it.

Might be worth repeat viewings to reach the story beneath the surface.

Somewhat challenging and mostly captivating. 7.5/10.