The Apostate

Director - Andy Dodd (Something I Never Had)
Starring - James Bryhan (RED 2), Ella Childs, and Carol Cummings (Skyfall)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror/Thriller
Tagline - "Are. You. Clean?"
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I started writing for Horror Society I wanted to review films that most people had never heard of or forgot about over time.  However, that only lasted a short time when filmmakers, producers, and distribution companies started to reach out to me to review their films.  This has been an amazing experience and I have discovered so many indie films that I had never heard of because of it all.  Recently, Andy Dodd reached out to the Horror Society Facebook page to review his new film The Apostate.  This was one I had never heard of but it looked pretty interesting so I agreed to check it out.  Thanks Andy for giving me the opportunity!

    The film begins with a young man awaking in a public bathroom covered in blood and his leg is cut open.  We then jump forward and the police have him in custody and they are interrogating him.  He then starts to piece together the events that lead to him locking himself in the public restroom and how he got the cut on his leg.  We then learn that something bad happened in that building leaving four dead and him wounded...but what was it?

     I knew nothing about The Apostate before watching it and I have to say that even after watching it I still don't know what the movie is truly about.  That is a problem with some films that I have been lucky enough to see and review.  That don't make these films bad, it just means the stories are a little too complex or something was lost in translation.  Either way, this is a film that I watched with all my attention and still was unable to fully grasp the plot.  The acting in this film is solid by the entire cast.  They all showed a tremendous amount of talent in front of the camera which is very impressive since this is most of the cast's first real role.  I can see bigger and better things from this cast in the future so go ahead and become familiar with their names now.  The story for this one is simple on the surface but becomes more complex the longer you watch it.  That would have been fine if the film did not move at such a slow pace that it really does try the viewer's patience.  A little more editing or more story telling would have helped this one out a ton.  It also feels a little familiar and could easily be compared to the Saw series.  Finally, the film is literally covered in blood and gore that showcases some great practical effects.  When it comes to gore I think it will be hard to top this one.  Overall, The Apostate is a film that I really wanted to like but just could not get into it.  The story runs way too slow which will turn a lot of viewers away especially in this day and age where cellphones and video games has deteriorated our attention spans.  The acting is solid and has some great gore but that could not save this film.