Sator

Director - Jordan Graham (Midground, Specter)

Starring - Michael Daniel (Specter, Midground), Rachel Johnson (Specter), and Aurora Lowe

Release Date - 2019

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "After you have suffered, he will find you"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I received the listing for Umbrella Entertainments March releases I found myself getting very excited for several of these titles.  While Bad Boy Bubby peaked my interest, I found myself really looking forward to two of the horror titles they were bringing to DVD.  The first that caught my eye was the 2019 supernatural horror flick Sator.  Several people that I know that are into horror praised this one prior to Umbrellas release so I was really looking forward to it.  I want to thank Umbrella for sending this DVD all the way to the U.S. for us to review.  

     The film follows a family that lives deep in the woods.  The family is fairly sufficient on living off the land and rely on their seclusion but something is haunting them.  An evil spirit known as Sator has latched onto their grandmother and soon set's it's sights on her grandson.

     I was so excited to for Sator.  The artwork and imagery really made my mind race with the possibilities as to what was going on.  I was hoping for a seriously fun pagan horror flick but what we got was a slow paced character piece that just couldn't pull me in.  The acting in this one is pretty solid.  I liked the characters and the cast does a fantastic job in their roles.  With that being said, the characters are dull for the most part.  The film doesn't put them in situations that hold the viewers attention.  The story for this one is an interesting premise that could have been one hell of a horror movie but the pacing and flow of the film is just all wrong.  We get these long and drawn out shots that serve no purpose to the story.  They are an attempt to create atmosphere and tension but leaves the viewer sitting their idly with nothing to grab their attention.  More often than not I found myself looking at the time on my phone than watching the film.  The editing needs to be tighter and more focus on the Sator aspect of the film.  Finally, if you want blood and gore you will be very disappointed.  This film focuses more on the characters and how they interact with the supernatural entity than it does with practical effects and gore.  Overall, Sator just wasn't for me.  I love a good, slow burner with plenty of atmosphere and tension but this one just leaves you out in the rain.  The most interesting aspect of the story is never fully explored and the scenes are just too long.  Skip it.