Joining the Church of Satan and the Illuminati have been two of HorrorSociety’s most popular posts for years now. People are going to go crazy for this movie when it receives a large release.
Prosper is written by and directorial debut of Deronte Smith. Cast members include April Hollingsworth (The Legend of Seven Toe Maggie), Shayla Love, Nicholas Wolfe, Davien Harlis, Renier Cortes, Walnette Marie Santiago, Anastasia Pekhtereva, and Diva Tyler (The Last Exorcism II). The film also features appearances from Sonya Thompson (Various Walkers on “The Walking Dead”), Addy Miller (Summer the Little Girl Walker on “The Walking Dead”), Kennedy Brice (minor recurring character, Molly, on “The Walking Dead”), Susan D’Angelo, and Garrick Parks.
“In the sleepy neighborhood of a rural town, a group of teens have a run in with a strange seductress. She is Irene Good, rumored daughter of Sarah Good of the infamous Salem Witch trials. She was the envy of all women with her natural youth, beauty and prosperity. But her unique talents and lineage drew the interest of a particular secretive group — the Illuminati, a group her mother helped to expand into the North Eastern borders of the country during the war. Irene formed an allegiance purely out of self preservation in avoiding the fire of the elders, who saw her unchecked gifts as a threat to the common goal of the N.W.O. Prosper is a modern snapshot of Irene baiting a group of kids into what they think is a séance but in reality is a dark ritual designed to drain the life from their bodies, and render their souls to darkness forever — all while she is made anew in the process.”
I’m always excited to watch a movie that has to do with witchcraft and magic because I feel that it’s kind of one of the forgotten genres of horror/scifi films. Ever since “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Charmed” went off the air during the mid to late 2000s, it’s become really difficult for magical productions – save for Harry Potter – to find a strong foothold with fans. “The Secret Circle” was cancelled after only one season, “Witches of East End” after just two. This subgenre has always been enticing, to me at least. I think what will really interest fans and revitalize their interest in the occult enough to watch this movie is the mash-up of believes and conspiracies all interwoven delicately into the script of Prosper. Old school Salem witch craft. Creo and voodoo. The illuminati. The New World Order. This isn’t your typical film about an evil witch. Irene Good (played by April Hollingsworth) has a very important agenda, both for herself and maybe even the rest of the world. There’s a lot of backstory to her character, which makes for a more amusing viewing.
Speaking of April Hollingsworth and her character of Irene, it was cool to see the dynamics of the three lead characters change throughout the feature – Hollingsworth, Shayla Love, and Nicholas Wolfe. At the beginning of the movie I felt that Wolfe (who played Dalton) was the lead, during the middle Irene was the central character (and one of the first times I can remember a villain being used so prevalently), and at the end Love (who played Samantha) was the leading lady. It was a breath of fresh air to see a horror film that didn’t follow the particular pattern of character growth and typecasting stereotypes. In that light, I also want to mention that it was great seeing a black female as a lead in a horror film. She wasn’t just some throw away character used for diversity. From beginning to end she was the one pushing the story ahead. She was important. I just felt that I should acknowledge that this is one of the few times this has happened and the idea should be embraced more. Also, major props to Diva Tyler (who played Coleman). I wanted her to save the day, but…
In all aspects, Prosper is not your typical horror film. The horror isn’t in your face, relying on jump scares and the craziest gore effects that you’ve ever seen. Sure, all of the actors are fantastic with their performances here, but the script is so deep and so clever that it’s something you need to pay attention to. The suspense is definitely present throughout the film. It builds up and at the last half hour or so is when all the crazy shit starts going down. The groundwork had been laid so perfectly that when people start getting screwdrivers in their brain you’re left wondering, “What the Hell is going to happen next?” Prosper is a slow burning horror film, for sure, and not for everyone. You really need to enjoy a good story, strong characters – some stronger than others, and the build-up leading to the blood and guts. And, the special effects look awesome when they are whipped out.
All in all, Prosper was a great film. I think it’s going to succeed where a lot of witchy projects failed because of the tight, complex, innovative backstory of Irene Good. It really brings this title a couple notches higher than, “Oh. She’s a bad witch. She wants to kill people.” Coupled with a fresh faced cast (though they look older than high schoolers…) and all other technical aspects on point, this is certainly a directorial debut that Deronte Smith can be ground of. It’s the best non-ghost supernatural flick I’ve seen this year. I’m rating it an 8.2 out of 10.
