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Directed/Written by Andrew Bowser.
Check out the trailer here!!
Bella (Zoe Graham) is a young mortician is faced with the job of reconstructing the face of a recently deceased serial killer and confronts supernatural forces that may have something to do with the murderer’s rampage.
Are the actors successfully acting like they aren’t acting?
THE DECEDENT is basically carried by the lead, Zoe Graham, who is a likable and interesting protagonist to follow as she video tapes the steps in the reconstruction process for tutorials. Not only were the tutorial sections offer up a likable side to Bella, but it felt as if I was learning something interesting as well. The only other performance that stands out is that of Andrew Bowser as the maintenance guy. This actor, who is known for his YouTube Arby’s reports and ONYX THE FORTUITOUS AND THE TALISMAN OF SOULS, kind of grinds at my nerves and I find the guy hard to watch. I’m sure he’s a good dude, but his nervously awkward humor just doesn’t work for me. Still, Bowser is much more restrained and tolerable in THE DECEDENT.
Does the footage found seem authentic and untouched by additional production?
The most frustrating thing about THE DECEDENT is that the filmmakers foolishly decided to add jump scare piano punches and additional music leading up to frightening moments. It doesn’t need it as the scenes are suspenseful enough, but for some reason, music is used and it really knocks the knees out of some of these tense scenes, especially the ones that end in jump scares, as without them, I think I would have been scared all the more. The film also flips between security cameras, hand held cameras, and even a bodycam worn on Bella’s head without addressing why this occurred. All of this chips away at this film convincing the viewer that this is footage found. The addition of the commercial for the funeral home at the beginning is a nice way to introduce the characters and setting though.
Why don’t they just drop the camera and get the hell out of there?
Most of the footage comes from a compilation of the security footage set up around the funeral home. There are some instances where Bella is utilizing a video camera she uses for her tutorials. She really has no reason to be filming other than the fact that, without doing so, chunks of the story wouldn’t be on camera. Bella says she always forgets to turn the camera off, but I wish a bit more work was put into addressing this issue.
Is there an up-nose BLAIR WITCH confessional or a REC-drag away from the camera?
Not a one and the film is better without these tired cliches.
Does anything actually happen? Is the lead in too long and the payoff too short?
THE DECEDENT makes sure to pepper in spooky and strange moments all the way through its runtime. From the morbid setting to the arrival of the body to the reconstruction of the killer’s face, to the increasing paranormal activity, this is a film that keeps the momentum running from beginning to end.
Does the film add anything to the subgenre and is it worth watching?
Even though THE DECEDENT may not pass the authenticity test as it uses multiple angles, media, and most importantly, utilizes an outside soundtrack to punctuate scenes and build suspense, this is one of those rare instances that the original story and narrative twists trump all of that. It’s a fun little film, reminiscent of the recent horror game adaptation of THE MORTUARY ASSISTANT as it deals with a lot of the same possession and paranormal tropes, but I think THE DECEDENT deals with all of this in a more effective and simpler way. With a fraction of the budget, filmmaker Andrew Bowser delivers some solid scares and a unique story. But man, I think it would have been infinitely more effective had they just trusted the scares caught on the camera without fiddling with it by adding music.
