Provoked (Review)

Director – Jordan Pacheco (Dead Bounty)
Starring – Christopher O’Reilly (The Last Halloween), Nicole Lasala (Dark Minds), and Dan Liebman (10)
Release Date – 2013
Rating – 3/5

Tagline – “Don’t anger the dead”

I have avidly been watching horror movies for around 15 years or so and for as long as I remember I have always had an interest in ghost movies but very few were effective as a horror movie. We do get some that go on to become classics, however, most of them hardly have the necessities to pull of the ghost story.  Some lack the effects, others lack the story suitable for a ghost story, while others just lack the atmosphere needed to make it work.

However, every once in awhile you cross paths with a ghost story that was well worth your time but it is rare to come across more than one…but it does happen.  Recently, producer David Langill was kind enough to send me a link to an online screener.  Thank you David for giving me the chance to check this one out!

**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a group of amateur ghost hunters as they prepare to investigate a home where a spirit has been violent with the residents. The group does there thing and turns up empty handed.  The group has been doing this for months and has yet to find proof of life after death and this pushes team member Matt (O’Reilly) to his breaking point.  He lashes out and provokes the spirit but nothing happens immediately.

He returns home to be with his wife and that is when things hit the proverbial fan.  At first small things start to happen all over his home.  His sinks mysteriously turn on and overflow and cabinet doors open by themselves.  Soon the spirit turns hostile and attacks him and his wife putting her in the hospital.  He is rather excited about the entire ordeal but his wife is not.  She leaves to go stay with her mother while he investigates the haunting but things do not go the way he had planned.**Spoiler Alert**

After 15 minutes of watching this movie I was preparing myself to write a bad review.  The movie bored me and that is hard to do.  However, because I was patient and stuck with it I was able to actually watch a solid ghost story.  Don’t get me wrong, this movie did have it’s flaws but I have yet to watch a movie and think it was perfect.

The acting in this one was phenomenal with the exception of two scenes.  The entire cast did a great job but O’Reilly made me laugh unintentionally.  The first scene was when Tony Moran made his cameo appearance and he answers the door and the second is when he walks in to the bedroom and finds his wife on the floor.  Both scenes were was funny because of the “startled” face he makes.  The story is your typical haunting story but the spirit attaching itself to a specific item has been switched with the spirit benevolently attaching itself to someone that disrespected it making this one just a little different from the rest.

Finally, those looking for amazing special effects will have some to choose from.  The film does use visual effects that are not that visually pleasing.  The ghost itself is a black cloud and not that menacing.  Personally, I find actual people portraying ghosts to be far more terrifying.  The film also has some practical effects that looks great.  I would have loved to see more of that in the film.  Overall, this is a slow-burning ghost flick that goes from boring to spine-chilling.  In the end, this film will leave your blood running cold.  I highly recommend it.