The Dooms Chapel Horror

Director - John William Holt (Pheromone Party)
Starring - Bill Oberst Jr. (Circus of the Dead), Austin Madding (The Gunmen of Soldier Creek), and Abby Murphy (Tomorrow Never Fails)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Yours. Mine. Ours"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I'm an avid horror fan.  I love horror through and through but some movies stand out more to me than others.  Sometimes its the cast while other times its the artwork or story that pulls me in.  Most of the time its the artwork or cast that attaches me to a film because we are in a time where a lot of filmmakers borrow stories from other films.  A year or two ago I was browsing through my news feeds on Facebook when I came across an amazing looking poster with Bill Oberst Jr. on the cover.  Bill Oberst Jr. is one of the best actors in the game right now.  I have said that for a few years so seeing his face on that poster sold me on the film.  When I read the story and found out it was centered around a cult like religious leader I was instantly hooked.  I reached out to the Facebook page for the film several times trying to get news to share on the site but they fell on deaf ears.  Lucky for me the film was released recently by my friends over at Brian Damage Films/Midnight Releasing and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.  Thanks guys.
     The film follows Kyle Cole (Madding) who returns to the small town where he grew up to film a documentary around his life and the death of his older brother Ryan.  Most of the town loved Ryan and had a hard time coping with his death.  Ryan was the star quarterback and had a bright future ahead of him but was killed in a farming accident.  A majority of the town blamed Kyle for Ryan's death and when Kyle was old enough to leave he left and never looked back.  He returns some years later with his girlfriend and a filmmaker to make a documentary about his late brother and how it has affected his life only to be reminded of a pact he made with a local cult leader and now carnage will fall upon this small little town.

     I had really high hopes for The Dooms Chapel Horror.  We rarely get horror films anymore that involve a death cult like group so I was welcoming the change of pace.  I was a little turned off, however, when I turned the film on and discovered that it took the mockumentary/found footage approach.  This film would have been so much better if it took the traditional film approach.  The film had a lot of the right elements but was unable to put them together to create something entertaining.  The acting in this one is hit or miss with me.  Most of the cast, and I don't mean to disrespect anyone, felt out of place and not fully dedicated.  The film follows Austin Madding for most of the film but he just doesn't feel like he is up to the role.  Most of the time he has this blank stare with no hint of emotion almost as if he is a puppet or reading a display prompters off camera.  his girlfriend, Abby Murphy, is just as awkward to watch as well.  She does go through a wide range of emotions but overacts in some scenes and underreacts in others.  She is not consistent throughout the film to the point it feels like her character is a joke or a parody of women in the films like Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project.  Not all of the acting is bad.  I really enjoyed Steve Crowley as the sheriff.  He was very commanding and quickly became the center of attention.  He was perfectly cast in that role and owned it.  Also, I really enjoyed Joshua Mark Robinson.  I grew up in southern West Virginia just mere minutes from the Virginia line.  Though our state was formed from out of the ashes of the Civil War and was considered a Union state, for all tense and purposes the people there are southern bred and proud.  His portrayal of Samuel was spot on.  He reminded me a lot of so many people that I grew up around.  Almost so that it was down right chilling.  With all that being said, the star of the film was Bill Oberst Jr.  Oberst always delivers an intensity that propels him above the rest of the cast.  It is almost unfair to put him a film with anyone else.  He destroys any film he is in with his performance and seeing him as Jordan was amazing.  The film really needed more of Oberst and his character.  The story for this one had all the right elements but could not capitalize on it.  The younger brother abandoning his brother just moments before he dies and living with the guilt of that is a very emotional.  The viewer has this thrown at them over and over again.  It is a point they never stop making.  We then get the Pumpkinhead angle that that never fully comes into play.  We hear the beast but only get small glimpses here and there.  This was a huge let down.  I was expecting more cult angle and creature feature but was robbed of both.  On top of all that, the film moves at a snails pace and is very predictable.  Finally, the film does have some kills but most take place off screen and the few we do get that are even remotely close to being on screen is taken away from us with camera angles and tricks.  The effects we get are limited and work for the way the film was shot but are nothing that impressive.  Overall, The Dooms Chapel Horror is one of those horror films that I have waited awhile to check out only to be disappointed.  Oberst was amazing as always but most of the cast feels like their heart is not in the film.  The story needed more and the cast needed more direction.  The film deserves at least one watch but has no replay value.