The Veil (2016) Reviews

• I was ready to slam this...

  crdnlsyn132016-05-15

  ...But, when all was said and done, I just couldn't. Could it have been better? Yes. Was it as bad as others here have written? No. I think the reason people here have given it a bad review, is that it IS lacking in some respects, however, it's an interesting story, original in it's execution. It's filmed beautifully, for a horror film. My kudos to the Cinematographer, it looks amazing. I think most people now a days want their ghost stories to have more 'jump scares' and less 'story' and THAT'S why it's getting bad reviews. If they were more familiar with Rod Serling, or had seen some of the Hammer Film movies, they'd appreciate this one more. This movie takes the typical 'abandoned cabin in the woods' story to an entirely different area, tying into 'true events' and putting a solid twist ending to good use. I rated it a 7-10 because I think what this movie really needed was MORE Thomas Jane, and maybe some John Carpenter-esque sound tracks, but over all I enjoyed this movie more than I expected it to.

  More

• A film defined by one performance......

  s32761692016-01-25

  In most respects The Veil is a very ordinary film. It takes a well trodden path that mixes the notion of re-incantation with an invasion of the body snatchers/possession twist. Most of the performances in this flick are pretty forgettable. Jessica Alba's character, who is supposedly the lead, spends most of her time looking like she's about to have a painful visit to the dentist. She's perpetually afraid, from the opening scenes to closing credits, with little in the way of emotional range, in between. What holds this film together and really defines it is the show stealing performance by Thomas Jane. Janes character, cult leader, Jim Jacobs, is a pretty transparent Jim Jones, Peoples Temple, knock off. But what a knock off! Jane is absurdly good and utterly convincing as Jacobs. So much so, I kept watching what is otherwise a rather mediocre film. Its a shame we don't see more of Jane in leading roles, he clearly has a lot to offer. I think for one thing he'd make an outstanding Jim Jones, should anyone decide to revisit that sad story. As to The Veil, I'd say watch it for Jane's remarkable performance but beyond that, don't come to this flick with big expectations or you will be disappointed. Five out of ten from me.

  More

• I'm hard to please and I liked this

  elizrug2016-04-20

  I am the biggest critic of horror films. If there's just one thing that doesn't seem right, I automatically dislike a film. I really liked this, though. It has a unique story, one that hasn't been touched upon very often: scary cults. It has a good cast who all work well together. There's not too much crappy dialogue, like the ubiquitous "Die you f-ing b****!" that is found in a lot of movies. (I've never understood how someone, who is fighting for their life, could be thinking of screaming cuss words at an attacker, and I curse like a truck driver.) I'm not a huge fan of Jessica Alba but this role worked for her. The scares were a success. I jumped a couple of times. Overall I think it's a very good scary movie. Is it Oscar-worthy? No, but that's not why I watched it.

  More

• A promising premise that, ultimately, fails to deliver.

  cheekysausage2016-01-21

  25 years (not 30 as the synopsis claims) after the mass suicide of a quasi-religious cult led by the charismatic Jim Jacobs, the sole survivor, Sarah (Lily Rabe) reluctantly agrees to revisit the remote house/church where the tragic events unfolded, accompanied by a documentary film crew led by Maggie (Jessica Alba). It soon transpires that Alba's character has a personal agenda for making the film - her father was the FBI man who led a raid on the cult's HQ and, for reasons I won't go into, subsequently committed suicide. Her desire to get to the bottom of what drove her father to kill himself is mirrored by Sarah's need to understand why she alone survived the mass suicide. Throw in some decent, naturalistic acting and we're off to a good start. Sadly, this is where things start to go south. On their first night at the house, one of the crew is so terrified by something he's seen that he takes off in their van and is discovered dead behind the wheel having apparently driven at speed into a tree. Rather than pack up there and then, Maggie insists on seeing the project through to its conclusion and, at this point, we descend into standard, seen-it-all-before horror. Despite the fact that they have set up camp at what is effectively a major crime scene there are several film reels lying around that steadily reveal what Jacobs (Thomas Jane) and his acolytes were up to in the weeks leading up to their deaths. Why they were never removed as evidence is left unexplained as it would get in the way of the story. As the remaining crew go through the tapes one-by-one we discover that Jacobs was a foaming at the mouth, Waco-level wacko who was inducing his own death and subsequently being brought back to life after penetrating the three 'veils' of some higher consciousness, apparently represented by the three nails that held Jesus to the cross. As each of the tapes is viewed Maggie's crew is picked off one-by-one until only Maggie and Sarah are left. At this point we realise that Sarah isn't quite what she first appeared and has lured Maggie and her crew to the house so that the spirits of Jacobs and his acolytes could take their revenge on Maggie for her father's sins and also give them a new 'host' body allowing them to return to earth in human form and execute their plan of building an army of immortals to take over the world. So much for the plot. Technically, the film is well-enough executed with the mood and atmosphere creepy enough to keep you on edge as you await each shock moment. The acting is solid with the exception of Thomas Jane who, by the end of it, comes across like Billy Graham on crystal meth. He's a better actor than this and any blame for his caricature of a performance should be aimed at the director rather than Jane himself. The stand-out performer, in my opinion, was Lily Rabe who, as she did in American Horror Story, effortlessly moves from vulnerable to outright creepy with equal believability. Strangely enough, Jessica Alba - the lead - turns in such a low-key performance that she seemed to get lost in the proceedings for long periods of time. So much so that it was easy to forget that this was supposed to be Maggie's story. In an overcrowded genre, it's difficult to bring anything new to the table. When I read the premise I had high hopes for The Veil but it's rapid descent into the formulaic was disappointing. That said, it had its moments and would by no means be the worst horror film I've ever seen.

  More

• Creepy and unnerving

  Woodyanders2018-04-19

  Troubled Sarah Hope (a fine performance by Lily Rabe) is the sole survivor of a mass suicide committed by a religious cult headed by the crazed, but charismatic Jim Jacobs (an amazing and electrifying live-wire portrayal by Thomas Jane, who channels the spirit of both Jim Jones and Jim Morrison). Sarah is convinced by a team of documentary filmmakers to return to the place where the tragedy occurred back in the mid-1980's only to discover that those terrible past events aren't exactly over yet. Director Phil Joanou relates the absorbing story at a constant pace, makes the most out of the spooky fog-shrouded forest main location, and ably crafts an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. Robert Ben Grant's grim script puts a novel and inspired supernatural twist on the religious cult premise as well as remains fiercely true to itself to the literal bitter end. While Rabe and especially Jane cop the top acting honors, Jessica Alba contributes a solid turn as eager and obsessive reporter Maggie Price, Aleksa Palladino impresses as loyal follower Karen Sweetzer, and Shannon Woodward registers well as the sassy and sensible Jill. Steeven Petitteville's bleached-out widescreen cinematography provides an appropriately gloomy and grayish look. Nathan Whitehead's shivery score hits the shuddery spot. A worthwhile horror film.

  More