Awoken

Unlike ricci.s, I didn’t have this film in my sights (in fact, I first heard about it today), so I was all the more surprised at the proper genre piece Awoken turned out to be. The premise is relatively trite: a demonic possession that has become the most profane in the last year, but the creators managed to work it out so well that I believe most fans will be satisfied. Awoken is really, and “mainly”, a functional and simple genre film with a fantastic atmosphere and unpleasant creepy moments. It’s not something that would go around film festivals collecting awards for its artistic contribution and innovation, it’s “just” a film created for midnight screenings alone at home, with the sound pumped directly into the headphones, and as such works almost perfectly. I was a bit disappointed by several lazy moments in the script by the end (the villain’s speech), where, by the way, like ricci.s, I would’ve appreciated at least a couple more minutes. For me, the rating is a proper four-star. If only there were more like it. (2020.05.08)

A little demonic surprise from Australia that came out of nowhere! I enjoyed the film mainly because of the premise, as the demon horror films of the last few years have been generic, teen, full of CGI, and with pretty much the same story. Awoken, however, focuses on patients of “Fatal Familial Insomnia”, people who can’t sleep until they actually die. I liked the line that if someone doesn't sleep for more than 18 days, they don't need a doctor, they need a priest. The film has a great atmosphere, plenty of creepy moments, effective scares, good pacing, decent actors and even some brutal deaths. Pretty much everything that should work in a demonic horror film works here, and most importantly I can't remember a good horror film with demons in a good few years. So everybody pay attention! Story***, Action***, Humor>No, Violence***, Entertainment****, Music****, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Suspense****. 7.5/10. (2020.05.09)