Jessabelle (2014)

Jessabelle is a movie that, unfortunately, relies too much on it's jump/scare moments & atmosphere to entertain rather than the plot or story. Don't get me wrong...the plot of the movie isn't that bad and the story is filmed out decently enough. It's just that it has a wee bit of a tendency to go a bit slow in places and at 90 minutes (which is average for a film these days) it could have been beefed out a bit better I think to make it not feel AS slow.

Another aspect of the story is that, while it's not overly complicated or confusing, you do need to pay attention to what is happening because if you don't then the ending will make no sense whatsoever. In saying that however, even when paying attention, one part of the story still didn't make sense, but I won't say anything for very obvious reasons.

Some of the scare scenes in the movie were actually quite good (especially considering that this film is only a PG-13) even if they were the good old fashioned jump/scare's. Sometimes the old tried and tested methods are the best and they were done well for this film. The atmosphere generated through the film is very decent as well, especially when it is working alongside the more scarier parts of the story. I know it's a given that atmosphere usually works well with creepy moments, but here it is nicely done throughout the movie.

The cast do a pretty solid job too and the film is well acted. I mean there are no stand out performances that are Oscar worthy (no offense to the cast), but they all do a fine job with the script that they are working with.

Given all of that, it does go a bit slow in places like I say, and I think that's really the only thing stopping me from giving it a slightly higher rating than what I have.

Overall, Jessabelle is a decent, well acted out supernatural horror with some nice creepy moments that is just a bit slow. It's nowhere near to being the best out there but at the same time I've seen much worse.

Fmovies: Sometimes when watching a supernatural thriller/horror you have to ask yourself 'should I really be scared by what I'm seeing, considering it's completely unrealistic and impossible to ever happen in the real world?' Or the other question that sometimes enters the equation is 'should I really be scared by what I'm seeing or is it all just in the character's mind anyway?' 'Jessabelle' doesn't completely avoid these questions being asked, but it does a great job of disguising the fact that they're there lurking in the background.

It's a tense, atmospheric ride from the opening scene right through to the closing credits. Sarah Snook is great as the lead and I couldn't help thinking throughout she might have been great as Carrie in the recent remake of Brian De Palmas classic. The frights are consistent throughout (including a particularly effective bathtub scene) but what really drives it is the story and mystery surrounding it. She isn't simply being haunted for the hell of it, there's a reason and the viewer is left curious to work out what it is.

It's all very similar in nature to 'The Skeleton Key' (a personal favourite of mine) with a unique twist to look forward to and an excellent mystery driven storyline. Director (and editor as he's probably better known as) Kevin Greutert is starting to become a personal favourite of mine. Anything he gets his hands on he works wonders with and creates brilliant material.

Returning to her childhood home in Louisiana to recuperate from a horrific car accident (which left her unborn child and fiancé dead) Jessabelle(Sarah Snook)comes face to face with a long-tormented spirit that has been seeking her return—and has no intention of letting her escape.The action of "Jessabelle" takes place in backwoods bayou of Louisiana.The film was directed by Kevin Greutert of "Saw VI" and "Saw 3D" fame.The storyline is quite interesting and captivating and the voodoo imagery is quite spooky.Unfortunately long black haired female spirits in the vein of "Ringu" are too routine to be seriously scary.I must say that I quite enjoyed final twist,though.6 bayou ghosts out of 10.

Jessabelle fmovies. I first saw the trailer for this flick in April of last year, at a showing for The Quiet Ones (bad movie, by the way; do not recommend). Being quite the fan of the southern Gothic genre, I wasn't exactly impressed by the trailer but wanted to see it regardless. For some reason or other, Jessabelle never made it to my local theaters - thus, I had to wait for the inevitable RedBox release to follow in January.

And what do you know, I finally got to watch it.

Jessabelle is not a perfect movie. It does have its flaws. It does have its clichés. But it is an honest attempt at making a horror flick and it does work. The atmosphere lends a hand, with spooky southern mansions and dark bayous. And as it so often does in stories like these, voodoo eventually takes center stage.

After recent horror releases like the dismal Oujia (a movie I personally despise), Jessabelle is a welcome change of pace. It is a slow-burner that brings to mind films such as The Skeleton Key (albeit 'Key being a superior effort).

The cinematography is quite good and the acting is effective. Sarah Snook is certainly leading lady material, and you can see her potential here front-and-center. Providing a sympathetic lead can make or break a film like this and Snook does not disappoint. A side note is that she is totally gorgeous and looks just the part for a sweet southern belle.

Final verdict: Jessabelle is nothing groundbreaking but one of the better horror flicks in recent years. Sarah Snook is one to keep an eye on. Worth a rental, but if you want to buy I'd say wait for it to hit the bargain bins.

After watching the trailer for this film, I must say I had really high hopes. As a devout Horror fan with a declared preference towards ghost stories and hauntings, I had looked forward to seeing another usual film of the genre, mediocre yet frightening and fun to watch.

While Jessabelle is light-years away from competing with the sub- genres best like The Grudge or Dead Silence, it completes the task it unofficially took upon itself, as it obviously had no intentions of being profound or in any way great. Sarah Snook, while definitely not painful to look at to say the least, is far more than your usual Horror Eye-Candy made famous in classic Slashers. Trust me, this professional knows a hell of a lot more than screaming convincingly and looking fine in a bathing suite. This was my first encounter with her, and I must say she just might be the best thing about Jessabelle. Apparently she's been making quite a name for herself since 2012, and I can definitely see why. Even though her character is stuck in a wheel-chair, the empathy towards its desperation and helplessness is greatly created by Snook's acting skills.

As for the story, it suffers from one of the known banes of Horror - a mediocre plot twist leading to an anticlimactic ending, after a finely made build-up. At least there is a plot twist, true, as Horror films are highly upgraded by these in my opinion, but the one in Jessabelle simply feels unfulfilled. I find it difficult putting my finger on what should have been better about it, I just know it didn't create the sensation we expect from such twists. I believe that was the main reason for the ending being slightly wanting.

All in all, I found Jessabelle to be quite average, meaning anyone who doesn't expect to have their mind blown and being swept off their feet by a masterpiece could enjoy it quite a bit, as I did. Snook's acting and the sufficiently smart plot make it even slightly above average. As always, I would recommend that you ignore my humble opinion, watch it and judge for yourselves. If you ask me - as far as this one is concerned, it's definitely worth it.

"It says you're not alone. There's a presence in the house with you. She wants you out of the house." Jessie (Snook) has everything going for her. She is the happiest she has ever been and moving in with her boyfriend whom she loves. In an instant her life is changed. Now alone and paralyzed from the waist down she has no choice but to move in with her father whom she hasn't seen in years. When she finds and plays tapes that her dead mother left for her strange and horrifying things start to happen. I have to open by saying that I am not a big horror movie fan. Mainly due to the fact that recently the horror genre has been Saw-like or found footage type. The ones that scare me are the more psychological movies that mess with your head rather than show you how many ways people can be chopped up. This falls into that category. The movie doesn't need to rely on jump scares to get you. The fact that this one in grounded in reality with the random scare thrown in really makes this work. Overall, if you like movies like The Conjuring or Insidious then you will like this as well. This is one of the few movies that creeped me out in the last year. I liked it. I give it a B+.