Children of the Way

Director - Elbert H. Smith (Anti Zombie Force)
Starring - James Joyce McClure (The Early Patrons), Karra Rae Robinson (Haunt, But I'm an Actress), Vicky Zwissler (House Sitters)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Cinema Wasteland is my home away from home.  I absolutely love this cult and exploitation convention.  Not because of the guests that they pull in but because the con itself it centered around indie movies.  I always find something that I had never heard of before when I go.  Back in April I was there browsing the tables when I came across two movies with the Troma logo on them.  I'm a huge fan of Troma and these two films were new to me.  I spoke with the guy selling the films and he told me that these two, Children of the Way and Anti Zombie Force, were picked up for Troma Now.  Because Troma had them on their streaming platform he put their logo on the artwork and made a small batch to sell at Wasteland.  I picked them both up with intentions of watching both but Children of the Way was the one I had the most interest in.  After watching a handfull of Wild Eye movies I decided to take a break from those to check this one out.

     The film follows private detective and paranormal investigator Anton Rook (McClure) and his assistant Rachel (Robinson) who venture to a small compound that was once the site of a witch coven.  The land is now home to a religious cult and he was hired on to find a couple's daughter who was swept up in the cult when she started dating one of them.  Now he risks his life and the life of his assistant (who is unaware he is her father) in order to find the young woman and redemption for another case he previously worked at that same compound.

     I love horror movies set around cults.  We don't get that many of them anymore but these were a big deal during the drive-in era of cinema.  The late 60s and 70s was the golden age for these films but we don't really see them anymore.  Sure, we might get one or two here or there but that's about it.  When I saw the artwork for Children of the Way I was suckered in.  I knew I had to see it.  The movie itself was far from perfect.  In fact, the movie had a lot going against it but in the end I found myself enjoying it.  The acting in this one is rough for the most part.  A lot of the cast did not have an IMDb credit aside from this film which would explain so much.  They all are truly dedicated to their role but some struggle with getting into character or delivering genuine emotions.  A few of the cast look and act great in front of the camera but their performances are pulled down with the scene.  The story for this one pulled me in with the cult angle and I was even more hooked with the character Anton Rook.  This character was very well written and very intriguing.  I can't help but wonder if this is the first film with the character or this elaborate backstory was just written for this film?  Regardless, I need more Rook adventures.  Now, with that being said, the movie does suffer a but from pacing issues.  Several of the scenes are extremely dry with very little substance to hold your attention with dialogue that is extremely awkward at time.  The writing and editing needs to be a little tighter than what it was.  Finally, if you are looking for a gory horror tale you will be very disappointed.  The deaths in the film are not the center of the scenes and are purely plot points.  Overall, Children of the Way is a bit of a choppy watch but fans of films centered around cults will enjoy what they try to accomplish here.  This is one I recommend checking out but do so with a grain of salt.  It is a bit on the rough side.