Caity Lotz stars in the new film The Pact. That should pretty much be reason alone for watching this. Well...that and because it's actually a decent little low-budget spook house thriller. Come. Let us discuss how hot Caity is.
I'm just messin' with you. We're not going to discuss how hot Caity Lotz is. Not entirely, anyway. But, we are going to discuss a few other things. Like, for instance, how the low-budget thriller is quickly becoming quite the indie gimmick these days.
After the credits rolled on The Pact, I couldn't help to be instantly reminded of recent films that utilized a lot of the same techniques used here to scare its audience on the cheap. Absentia and the just released Apartment 143 come to mind. The atmospheric approach combined with steady shots that pan about...until something off to the left (or right) happens to appear in frame and scare the fuck out of you. Insidious used this to great effect many times in the film. Here, the film allows you to roam the shadows of the poorly lit environments...until, ultimately, you are met with a jump scare, or two.
The Pact sorta throws something unexpected at you, even if it has been done to death within this particular sub genre. The dramatic reveal. The question of this being a true supernatural experience...or simply a film about some dude that's been hanging around all this time kind of cheapens the film a little. However...there's always Caity Lotz.
The premise is a little bit ambitious, if not altogether convenient. The story is basically about a young woman named Annie (Lotz) called back to her childhood home in which to attend the funeral of her mother. It is there where she comes into contact with a dark force (familiar with Google Maps technology) from her past haunting her every move and killing loved ones around her. Annie must figure out what is at the bottom of this dark entity before it is too late for her.
I make no secret that Caity Lotz is the best thing in this film. She was awesome in last summer's Death Valley series on MTV. I only wish the film took better advantage of her fleshy gifts. Although, I will say that The Pact boasts the sexiest motorcycle kick start I've ever witnessed in cinematic history. That said...Lotz never attempts to get nekkid for us. Mostly just roaming the courtyard of her motel in booty shorts.
The rest of the cast also does a decent job. Hell...even the long-forgotten Casper Van Dien shows up to remind everyone that he could still be relevant, provided he has some good material to work with. Hopefully, this is only the start of a better career path for Van Dien and not just a lone bright spot in his diminishing body of work. I'm really pulling for the little guy.
Writer/director Nicholas McCarthy really does an excellent job in what little he has to work with. The film looks much better than it should, considering the budget. And he makes admirable use of the atmosphere in which to pull his jump scares from.
The gore is almost non-existent in the film...save for a few beheadings and stabbings. However, there is one glass-shard-in-the-foot scene that really got me squirming...so, there's that.
Overall, The Pact is a film that is much better than most films that see the light of a projector these days *cough*Chernobyl Diaries*cough*...even if it attempts to get bogged down by dramatic elements that would better serve a film you might see on the Lifetime network. But, it is an effective little thriller that does exactly what it sets out to do. Deliver little scares here and there while allowing you to salivate at the lovely Caity Lotz.
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Look at da wittle birthmark...toh cute!
Thanks for reading!
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