GODFORSAKEN (2020) Reviews of Canadian horror movie – now free to watch online

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‘Not all miracles are holy’
Godforsaken is a 2020 Canadian horror film about a team that travels to a small town to document a bizarre and seemingly unnatural case, ending in extreme tragedy.

Written, directed and edited by Ali Akbar Akbar Kamal (Faceless). Produced by Mariah MacDonald and Chad Tailor.

The Makama Films-Tailored Films production stars Chad Tailor (Paranormal Witness), Mélie B Rondeau, Katie Fleming, Chris Kelly, Domenic Derose, Nicole Fairbairn, JoAnn Bundock and Flora Burke.

Plot:
An indie filmmaker visits his hometown to attend a childhood friend’s funeral. When she seemingly rises from the dead during her wake with mysterious abilities, he and a group of friends begin to investigate and record the town’s experience as they try to get to the truth. Some claim she is God; some claim she is pure evil. They soon learn that not all miracles are holy…

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Reviews:
“The amateurism of the project is noticeable in some performances, but in general, it is a fairly worthy product. The final part pretends to want to emulate the madness of the ‘Safe Haven’ episode made by Timo Tjahjanto and Gareth Huw Evans for the V/H/S/2 anthology, but it remains a hysterical attempt where the camera movement ends up being exhausting.” 60% Cinema Gavia [translated from Spanish]

“Most found footage films are abysmal because the style encourages lazy filmmaking. Directors let sloppy cinematography and padded storytelling slide because they think it creates a vérité authenticity. Yes, Godforsaken‘s cinematography is rough. But the editing is well-paced, with mercifully little padding and empty chitchat.” Communist Vampires

” …the approach’s imminent predilection of shaky camerawork, lack of proper editing and random camera set-ups derive several scenes from coming to their full potential. That’s made up though be a really interesting and rather multi-layered script that’s well-structured and well-paced to really capture the audience…” Search My Trash

Godforsaken looks as if it was made on cellphone cameras on a budget of maybe two bucks. And yet, despite the low budget aesthetic, it’s as bracing and terrifying as any horror movie released in the last several years. This extremely DIY zombie movie crosses horror subgenres and aesthetics and through ingenuity and gusto manages to craft some of the most genuine scares that I have experienced…” Vocal Media: Horror

” …suffers from the usual found footage issues of extremely shaky footage and why anyone would be filming this rather than just concentrating on staying alive. Despite some clumsy moments and an ending that, while exciting, is overly simplistic compared to what led up to it Godforsaken is worth catching.” Voices from the Balcony

Release date:
Godforsaken will premiere on the Terror Films YouTube channel on March 25th 2022 followed by a worldwide digital release on April 8th.

Background:
Writer-director Ali Akbar Akbar Kamal said: “Growing up in a religious community in the Middle East, I always had a fascination with otherworldly beings. As a child, I would often hear things like “You will burn for eternity if you commit a sin” or “you will go blind if you question God”. All of which struck terror in my heart.

As a horror fan, I always found that feeling of terror to be captivating. The fear of unknown beings that hold unlimited power over us. I wrote Godforsaken with that fear in mind. Our objective was to make a movie that touches on those feelings but most importantly I wanted to make something that was fun and exciting to watch.”

Cast and characters:
Chad Tailor … Chad Taylor
Mélie B. Rondeau … Lisa Harris
Katie Fleming … Katie
Domenic Derose … Dom
Nicole Fairbairn … Nicole Taylor
Chris Kelly … Chris Laskin
JoAnn Bundock … JoAnn Laskin
Flora Burke … Julia Harris
Dan Bieman … Father Anderson
Pat Raftis … Pat Laskin

Filming locations:
Harriston, Ontario, Canada

Technical details:
1 hour 16 minutes

Trailer:

Full film free to watch online:

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