Hello ladies and gentlemen, your pal Muldoon here with my thoughts on a new horror flick coming out on VOD this Tuesday (Oct. 6th) called JUNE. I’ll be honest, this film wasn’t quite on my radar at all, so I really did go into it with absolutely zero expectations. What follows are my honest thoughts, and for the folks out there who love polarized reviews (either falling head over heals with or sadistically getting enjoyment out of hating on a film), well – lo siento, this isn’t that kind of review. Think of it as a one-on-one style casual chat outside of a movie theater with a friend, not some sort of internet blogger basement dwelling badass sent to the web because his opinion actually means something.
June is an innocent 9-year-old orphan girl who shares her body with Aer, an ancient supernatural being whose mission is to destroy mankind. When June is adopted by a loving family, she must battle with Aer to save her new parents and herself.
RLJ Entertainment, the same distribution company that brought us I DECLARE WAR, DIGGING UP THE MARROW, THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN (2014 version), and the upcoming BONE TOMAHAWK have another creepy tale that feels rather intimate, this time circling around an adoption of a girl with special abilities. While troubled visions of CARRIE, THE BABADOOK, and MAMA dance around the shadows of JUNE, the angle at play here is the young girl shares her body with a demon who is accidentally summoned whenever young June loses her shit. We spend quite a bit of time following June in situations that establish her as a young misunderstood girl. The only real individual who seems to care for her is a social worker, played by Eddie Jemison, and while I certainly feel Jemison brought his A game to his character (he feels sincere), the pacing and getting us from A to B was a little slow as far as “too much time before we meet the new parents.” There are only so many situations you can show an audience to get across “Hey check it out, she’s able to Hulk Out and unleash her demon, because someone is being mean to her.” I mean I get it and I’m sure there are those out there who will absolutely disagree, I just felt a slight lull in that first act – almost like slowly sitting back on a roller coaster as it clicks higher and higher, then you hit that peak and… suddenly it’s a relaxed familiar elongated cruise down. Rather than visual papercuts of jump scares and flashes of gore, this film is more of an atmospheric eraser burn. (Not a bad thing.)
While the twists and turns felt a bit anticipated, the acting was pretty stellar with (as mentioned above) Eddie Jemison at the head of the pack. The adoptive parents, Casper Van Dien and Victoria Pratt, were great; a perfect pair who felt real together. If you plan on going into this movie expecting a SHARKTOPUS VS. WHALEWOLF style Casper Van Dien, fair warning - you’ll be smacked upside the head and reminded how great the guy can be. Again, full disclosure here, I’m not that familiar with Victoria Pratts’ work, though simply taking a glance at her IMDB page is proof in point she’s been around a while and knows how to pull off a great scene, which she does numerous times in her interactions with “June.” Even “June” herself, played by Kennedy Brice was relatively believable, considering an evil entity lives inside of her. I do expect to see more from this young lady and hope to hell she doesn’t go the route of starlets with inflated egos who are taught to always be the center of attention at such a young age. Fingers crossed she can handle that on the other side of the lens, but for now with just letting her work speak for her – she’s someone to keep an eye on for sure. In general, I was impressed with the performances I saw.
As far as the pacing and tone of the film, Director L. Gustavo Cooper easily navigates the shallower end of the pool. That’s not a dig at the man at all, more of the fact that the film plays it a bit safe. It’s familiar. It’s perfectly executed for what it is, as opposed to jumping right on into the deepest end and seeing what happens. I truly do hope Cooper’s allowed that opportunity on his next film and look forward to seeing where he gravitates. This film, written by Cooper and Sharon Y. Cobb, hits the beats you expect it to hit. I mean for what it is, it’s great. Nicely designed Satanic Rituals? Check. Techno John Carpenter Style synth music sneaking in? Check. Slick visual effects? Check. A lovely serving of blood? Check.
So in truth, is this film going to rock your world? Possibly. It didn’t necesarily rock mine, but I could absolutely see myself giving it a shot out of pure curiosity. Hell, I did. It’s not bad, and it didn’t blow my socks off… (Now that’s a sticky way to spin any sort of thoughts on a film.) Ultimately, trust your gut and if you like what you see in the trailer above – boom – chances are it’s totally your cup of tea. I enjoyed the film and think it will be a lovely “night in” movie to watch as we get closer and closer to Halloween, but at the same time don’t see myself circling back for repeat viewings. I’d give the movie a solid B with room for improvement (sharper twists and turns!) I’d recommend this to friends and ultimately think you should give it a shot.
TLDR; The movie is fun, with great acting and nice production design; a great film to get you in the mood for Halloween while in the safe confines of your living room. It hits VOD and DVD on Tuesday, so if you're into creepy horror films, this one might be for you.
- Mike McCutchen
"Muldoon"
Mike@aintitcool.com
