Final Prayer (2013)

If like me you are not a fan of this sort of movie in the first place, you know that me giving this a relative high vote, means a lot. The movie does deserve it, because of the characters (actors portraying them) and the story it tells. The script is really well written and it has an edge to it.

It will shock some people and rightfully so. While there are still decisions that shouldn't be made, the movie is well shot (by a professional obviously and not the actors themselves most of the time). The characters are more than believable and there is enough tension to grab anyones attention. It's almost hard to admit, but this is one of the better horror movies I saw in 2013

Fmovies: So-called "found footage" movie making annoys me. It is disorientating, head ache inducing and, in my experience has absolutely NOTHING in its favour. It is completely repellent. The idiotic, too close framing and jittering do absolutely nothing to make a movie more convincing or "feel real". Everything about this ill-considered fad is awful and absolutely nothing is good. After only a couple of minutes, I was tempted to walk out and, having sat through this boring garbage to the bitter, pointless end, I really wished I had. Putting the jittery camera work completely to one side, the "story" was so weak and unconvincing as to be barely existent. I didn't give a flying one for any of the characters and the end was a total flop. There were no saving graces. I have seen a huge number of horror films and this was one of the most disappointing, mainly because hopes were raised too high by overly enthusiastic, self-indulgent scribes who are far too easily impressed by pretentious, vacuous, utterly pointless nonsense.

First of all I must say that I'm not a big fan or follower of horror films in general. There are so many generically bland horror films out there that it dulls the senses. The Borderlands does not fall into that category. I'd go as far as to say this is a marvel ( not the comic ) The filming style - head cameras and CCTV static cameras works amazingly well. It really pulls you into the moment.

The whole production is a triumph. The sounds, staging, understated effects, locations and direction are superb. It does have a low budget feel, but that is why it works so well. This takes the Blair Witch concept and turns it into something so much deeper and immersive.

The acting is spot on. Especially the two lead characters, Deacon & Grey.

The character interactions are believable and well developed. A combination of excellent script writing and talented actors. The village setting works well. The village locals and the teenage yobs all help to increase the claustrophobia. In fact I think the village could have been developed a little further, but hey, its an 87 mins film which is brilliantly paced, so I can't really complain.

The premise of Vatican investigators, seems a tall feet to pull off considering that the film is set in southern England, but it is pulled off brilliantly. The production team really planned these aspects very well. Every scenario and location is exploited for maximum production value. The attention to detail in regards to the props and the historical research means that the limitations of the source footage just enhances the realism.

It does take a few minutes to get used to this style of filming - I am an avid hater of shaky-cam in modern productions, both low budget and Hollywood, but in this case, it's brilliant. In fact, it's not really as shaky as a hand held camera as they are attached to the head.

Whether you are a fan of horror or not, I thoroughly recommend that you experience The Borderlands for yourself. I'm sure it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but for those looking for a true immersive experience that's a little off the beaten track, check it out! More reviews at UKfilms net

Final Prayer fmovies. I gotta say, The Borderlands is actually very funny in places, they took a great risk tying together humour and scares but for some bizarre reason, it certainly works.

I fully enjoyed both elements of the film, and it's acted really, really well (and filmed the same). The tale follows some investigators sent by the Vatican to check out a claim by a local priest of a possession in an old church. One of the investigators isn't a religious man however, just a tech guy there to do all the video stuff etc. Hes the funny one, and I kinda felt the humour amplified the scares when they came. When it gets to a screaming sheep set on fire (yes really) it is quite shocking as it's unexpected. And from there it swings from light hearted banter (never forced) to heavy shocks. I enjoyed it, and thought I wouldn't. Definitely worth a watch.

I won't talk about the story because I don't want to give anything away. I went into this knowing little, and that's the best way to approach it.

Those put off by the fact that this is found footage, need to bear in mind that (as the actor Gordon Kennedy recently pointed out), 'found footage' is no longer a gimmick but a genre of its own or, if you like, a horror sub genre. Complaining about a movie being another found footage movie is like complaining about Saving Private Ryan being another war movie. Anyway. . .

Having read a lot of mixed reviews about this movie I decided to trust one radio reviewer's opinion and watch it. I had heard people complain that the dialogue was bad (completely untrue) and that the movie was boring (what?) but found myself riveted all the way through to the ending which was not only a surprise, but genuinely affecting in the same slightly baffling but very disturbing way that Ben Wheatley's Kill List ended. Any horror movie that removes all doubt by the end isn't doing a very good job in my opinion anyway. It's the WTF? element that really puts the icing on the cake and heightens the terror.

For a small budget movie I think they did very well. They kept the scope of the story narrow, the locations simple and focused on atmosphere and tension. The acting was very good by all parties and on a technical level its clear (even to someone not in the filmmaking business like me) that everyone knew exactly what they were doing. I've seen so many low-budget horrors that make me wonder how some people are allowed to go near a camera, but in this case filmmaking is exactly what these people should be doing.

In some ways it could be called formulaic. It certainly owes a debt to movies like The Blair Witch Project, but it does something knew, and the ending is all its own. Wow. . . What an ending.

Incidentally I read in an interview with the filmmakers that the movie originally had a different title, which in fact gives more away than the movie itself about what is going on. The Borderlands is a much better title because of its ambiguity.

Great movie which I'm looking forward very much to seeing again.

The Borderlands is one of the better found-footage films that has come out of late, and is one of the best British horror films to come out in a seriously long time.

Initially a little unconvincing, and with a slightly irritating character played by Robin Hill, it may take a short while to settle into. But as events unfold and things get darker, I guarantee you will be glued to the screen, as creepy and sinister becomes terrifying and horrific. The acting is great, the tension never falters, and the ending is one of the nastiest to feature in a horror film in years. A good film.