LURED (2019) Reviews of found-footage horror

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Lured is a 2019 Canadian found-footage horror film about a young man who travels to Asia to meet an attractive female stranger he met online.

Written, produced, directed and edited by Dawei Lee [as David Li], the Pendulum Films stars Jeff Gonek, Lei Wong, Corey Woods, Yin He and Chan Hong.

Plot:

Jason (Jeff Gonek), a young filmmaker, goes to a remote village in Asia to meet Kate (Lei Wong), whom he has been chatting with online for a while via a film forum. However, he becomes increasingly disturbed as he begins to discover Kate’s increasingly irrational behaviour and secrets…

Review:

Lured‘s rather obvious premise is initially enlivened by the increasingly creepy minor details and disturbing encounters with pasty-faced villagers that visiting filmmaker Jason experiences. That said, any sympathy for him is gradually eroded by his somewhat arrogant and xenophobic traits which seem at odds with his character’s apparent globetrotting past.

The three leads deliver decent performances with Lei Wong standing out as the increasingly enigmatic Kate. The usual found-footage negatives such as drawn-out dialogue scenes require a certain amount of patience, however, this is more effective than some of the worst examples of the sub-genre. The final section will prove either satisfying or irritating depending upon the viewer’s disposition.

Adrian J Smith, MOVIES and MANIA

Other reviews:

” …the movie was adequately entertaining for the first two-thirds, then it just slipped down a slope and because sort of laughable and ridiculous, and the movie never really managed to get back up and over that slope […] a movie that is adequate for a single viewing if you have nothing better to watch at hand and find yourself in for a quick fix of a supernatural thriller.” Paul Haakonsen

” …the film struggles both to draw up an atmosphere and to have a sympathetic focus for the viewer. Jason has a misogynist streak and does not feel like a well-travelled individual, his acquiescence to being tied up (whilst he was absolutely freaked out and had just been cut in the dark) was laughable. Lei Wong does give us a good line in deranged.” Taliesin Meets the Vampires

Cast and characters:

Jeff Gonek … Jason
Lei Wong … Kate
Corey Woods … GT
Yin He … Kate’s Husband
Hong Chan … Victim
Hua Long Chang … Villager
Yu Huan Cui … Villager
Jing Gao … Villager
Zi Xuan Lau … Villager
Tong Laun … Villager
Xiao Jun Lee … Villager
Shi Yong Mi … Villager
Zhan Bo Pan … Villager
Xu Si Xu Si … Villager
Chang Song … Villager

Technical details:

85 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.78: 1

Trailer:

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