Director – Matthan Harris (They Came from Hell, The Inflicted)
Starring – Colin Ward (The Face of Evil, Trick Shot), Rebecca Weaver (Winter Guest, June Falling Down), and Matthan Harris
Release Date – 2021
Rating – 3/5
We don’t get enough horror films centered around cults. We get a few here or there but we don’t get nearly as much as we do slashers and zombie flicks. I would love to see horror films about cults and witches become the newest trend because I absolutely fucking love them.
A few weeks ago I received a press release for the horror film Baphomet starring Dani Filth of Cradle of Film. I’m not much of a CoF fan but I was really interested in the film. I saw that this was yet another titled that MVD was handling so I reached out to them for a review copy which they were kind enough to send over. Thanks guys!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a family who live on a ranch that has been in their family for some time when a young stranger approaches them to buy it. When the father refuses to sell it he soon finds himself and his family cursed by a cult that needs that land to perform a Satanic ritual. **Spoiler Alert**
I was very curious about this one and enjoyed it for the most part but it was extremely goofy at times. Hell, it was very goofy but I found it very enjoyable.
The acting in this one is very cheesy at times but I have a fondness for cheese. Actor and director Matthan Harris made me laugh several times throughout the film with his performance. These unintentionally funny moments really caught me off guard and it’s clear he wrote the character of Mark for himself to portray. He’s fully dedicated to his role but the character’s attempt at being a hero mixed with the tone of the film made it feel extremely goofy. It almost had that same hero vibe as those films you can find on the Christian network. The rest of the cast delivers solid performances that fit the film very well. The characters are well written and work. With that being, the entire Dani Filth cameo should be cut. It’s a cheap ploy to get a recognizable name in the film but having him only appear in a video call really takes the impact away. He shouldn’t be billed in the film if he only appears for two quick Skype calls.
The story for this one is fun but nothing that really sticks out. A family, who has been on the property for decades, is suddenly terrorized and cursed by a Satanic cult. I dig the premise but why is the Satanic cult suddenly interested in the property? It would make more sense to have a new family moving in to the home. Regardless, I really liked the cult angle and the curses inflicted on the family. There were really fun and worked well with the story.
Finally, the film has some bloody moments with some simple yet effective practical effects. It’s not gory but the practical and make-up effects looked great. The only downfall to this is that the demonic creature looked so good but only had a small amount of screen time. Overall, Baphomet is going to be hit or miss with the genre fans. Personally, I enjoyed it but the uneven tone of the film and the goofy character did take away from the overall film.
