MOVIE REVIEW: We see if 'It Feeds' satisfies horror fans' taste buds
It Feeds stars Twilight's Ashley Greene as clairvoyant Cynthia who is forced into action to protect her daughter Jordan (Ellie O'Brien) and young stranger Riley (Shayelin Martin) from an evil entity.
Writer-director Chad Archibald's ( Bite, The Heretics) horror film somehow gets away with sharing DNA with the likes of Insidious to still work on its own merits - just.
Cynthia's personal experience of traumatic loss drives her decision-making and for much of the movie all that matters to her is Jordan's safety and avoiding confrontation.
But Jordan leaps into action to help Riley, especially after engaging with Riley's aggressive, secretive dad Randall (Shawn Ashmore).
O'Brien's infectious and endearing selflessness drives the flick and Jordan's fate quickly intertwines with Riley's.
Greene and Ashmore actually starred together in 2021's decent but inexplicably long thriller Aftermath and do a good job here as the main adults on show.
Greene's character is clearly torn between doing the right thing and her family's self-preservation and despite using increasingly extreme measures, all Ashmore's Randall is out to do is also protect his daughter.
I could've done without Juno Rinaldi's kooky Agatha, who only seems to exist to give Cynthia and Jordan a helping hand when the plot requires it, and would like to have seen more of the always offbeat and fascinating presence of Julian Richings ( Dr Whittaker).
I was also torn between thinking the climactic showdown sequence was cool or dumb.
It's very Insidious, with characters entering a dark world through their minds, but the visuals are immersive and the environment threatening.
Quite why everyone ends up wearing goth-like clothing and is styled with eye-opening hair and make-up is pretty bizarre, though.
It Feeds won't win any points for originality, however, Archibald's latest horror dishes out just enough scares, meaningful motivations and stirring shots to satisfy genre fans' taste buds.
● Pop me an email at ian.bunting@reachplc.com and I will pass on any movie or TV show recommendations you have to your fellow readers.
Gerry Foster said: 'Gangs of London on Sky just keeps getting better and better. They really know how to up the ante.'
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