The Pact (2012)

The Pact came out in May 2012 as another modern day horror film that's apparently 'the scariest film in the world since The Exorcist'. The film follows Anna who comes back to her old family home for her mother's funeral and when her sister and cousin disappear in the house a few nights before,mysterious visions and dreams start to haunt Anna bringing her back 30 years into her family history with a terrifying discovery. The Pact was absolutely..horrifying? More. It's absolutely terrifying,the story is used a lot in films but this was awesome,the scary scenes were so scary and unusual. If I had to choose my scariest scene it would be when Anna left to go to the apartment building for a night;That..Was..So.. Scary!. In 2014,a sequel entitled The Pact II was released probably as a straight to DVD. I saw the trailer and it looked quite good but I never got a chance to see it. The Pact is an awful scary film that scared me to death..

This is a beautifully and thoughtfully made horror/thriller that manages to sustain the creep factor throughout. I won't be spoiling anything by telling you that it's a supernatural tale. This establishes itself quite early on in the piece which I initially found disappointing. I'm partial to those slow burn movies that leave you wondering if there is a supernatural element going on at all. The fact this film introduces this early on certainly does not take away from chill factor and manages to maintain a strong sense of mystery which adds to the unsettling nature of the story.You get to establish a great empathy for the main character, Annie, thanks largely to the great performance of Caity Lotz while she tries to figure out what the hell is going in her childhood home after her mother has passed away and why her sister has disappeared. The home and setting is a character in itself. A very small, drab home with 60's/70's decor becomes an incredibly creepy setting, even with the bright San Pedro sun shining outside which filters into the home in a dark golden glow as you get to explore every inch of it during the film. Knowing that Annie and her sister's childhood was traumatic at the hands of their mother adds to the malevolent personality of the house. The atmosphere of this film reminds me a little of Absentia, another great film you should check out.There were moments where my heart jumped without the use of the clichéd, annoying jump scare which seems to be popular these days. A sense of dread builds and builds to a very satisfying climax. The less you know about this going in, the better. Check it out, it's well worth it.

Nicole Barlow (Agnes Bruckner) is organizing her mother's funeral but her sister Annie (Caity Lotz) is reluctant to come. Nicole disappears in her mother's home. Annie arrives and attends the funeral while Nicole is missing. Cousin Liz, Nicole's daughter Eva and Annie return to mother's home. Liz goes missing. Nicole is attacked by an invisible force and barely escapes with Eva. The police doesn't believe her. Officer Bill Creek investigates with Annie and they find a mysterious room. She takes psychic Stevie and Stevie's brother Giles to the house.The movie starts off confused and not that compelling. Bruckner starts but she's not the lead. It's an opportunity to do something scary to open this movie but it doesn't do that. It's a bit of a muddle as Caity Lotz takes over. Haley Hudson makes a nice appearance as a weird psychic. It starts an interesting better atmospheric second half.

"The Pact" (2012) was Written and Directed by Nicholas McCarthy, It is a quite and densely woven little ghost story. It is well acted, all around. Spoiler Alerts ahead.The action centers around Annie, played by Caity Lotz, who has returned to her old home in San Pedro, for her Mothers funeral. There are strange going's on at the house, and Annie's relatives start disappearing. Even Investigator Creek, played by Casper Van Dien, is aware that something is not right with the house. With a lot of investigation by Annie, with the help of her mothers ghost, She discovers a much darker secret, that the house concealed, involving a rather nasty serial killer Charles Barlow, aka Judas. played by Mark Steger. The entire tone of the movie is subdued, but when the shock effects hit, they are very effective. The sound design of the film well contributes to the tension and mood that the film develops. The music score by Ronan Landa personal and almost meditative.This movie is not a scare a minute, effects laden juvenile horror film. It slowly develops its case, and allows significant intelligence on the part of the viewer to help fit the pieces together. Some might be turned off by the deliberate pace, too slow for those weened on the, "Paranormal" "Insidious" roller coaster paced horror films. Not I , I found it engrossing and surprisingly adult. and will give it a strong Eight, out of Ten stars. Well done