Skip to content

BESETMENT

Written By:

Rich Cross
besetment

It is oddly fitting that writer/director Brad Douglas’ ‘hotel from hell’ shocker should begin with a bad career move. Bored, broke and keen to get away from the chaotic home life of her alcoholic mother, young city girl Amanda Millard takes up an ill-defined job opportunity in a sleepy, small-town hotel run by a seemingly kindly widow and her mentally impaired adult son. Things quickly go awry and Amanda finds herself incarcerated and the victim of a ghastly and repellent plan that could cost her sanity and her freedom, if not her life.

 

Sadly it soon becomes apparent that this no-budget flick’s most impressive feature is its unusual title (which refers to the state of ‘being beset’; that is, under attack from all sides). There’s scarcely an original idea in the entirity Douglas’ join-the-dots script: from the nowheresville hotel, to the ‘creepy small-town’ setting; from the insane controlling matriarch, to the submissive conflicted son; from the doomed bid to rescue the prisoner, to the last-minute act of revenge with a hidden weapon, from the not-long-for-this-world local boyfriend to the macabre enforced wedding. Even at a running time of just over 75 minutes, Besetment is not the sane choice for a ‘spot the horror movie cliché’ drinking game.

 

That would still be OK, if the movie delivered unoriginal material with some sense of panache or elan, or found some fresh motifs or storytelling techniques. But unfortunately it doesn’t. It’s as though it’s beset by the need to avoid any cinematic individuality of its own.

 

Realistic about the film’s most likely destination (as a title in a ‘video on demand’ library), Douglas is careful to have the camera shy away from the more grotesque images that his storyline serves up. As a result, the film exhibits a strange tonal mixture of the repugnant (and there are some truly unpleasant scenes to endure) and the bashful. Even the chilling act of disfigurement that features prominently on the movie’s posters happens off-camera.

 

In a pretty thankless role, Abby Wathen is able to make the guileless Amanda a likeable enough heroine. Yet pride of place, amidst an otherwise lacklustre cast, goes to Marlyn Mason, who manages the shift from saintly spinster to deranged, scenery-chewing villainess with complete conviction (something that doubtless reflects her decades of experiences on stage and small-screen). Frankly, at this point in her long career, she deserves better material than this.

 

The film’s closing 10 minutes are its weakest. Following a dismal “final confrontation”, key characters make unconvincing decisions before a last-minute “twist” robs the movie of any vestige of internal logic. The final freeze-frame and voice-over ensure that, as the credits roll, Besetment has never once risked deviating from the derivative.

 

BESETMENT / CERT: TBA / WRITER: BRAD DOUGLAS / DIRECTOR: BRAD DOUGLAS / CAST: ABBY WATHEN, MARLYN MASON, MICHAEL MEYER, MAX GUTFREUND, DOUGLAS ROWE / UK RELEASE: 6TH JUNE


Rich Cross

You May Also Like...

chinese remake of anaconda drops trailer

ANACONDA Trailer Grants First Look At Remake Of 1997 Horror Flick

Three sequels and a spinoff-crossover film wasn’t enough for the 1997 creature feature Anaconda, which not only has a new movie in development, but is getting a Chinese remake! From
Read More
black widow star scarlett johansson in talks to lead new universal jurassic world film

Scarlett Johansson In Talks To Join JURASSIC WORLD Film

Another MCU star appears to be taking up the reins for Universal’s new Jurassic World movie: two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson is reportedly in talks to lead the franchise that
Read More

Exclusive Reveal! Titan Comics to Deliver Prehistoric Hysterics in First 2 DUMB DINOS Collection

Titan Comics have exclusively revealed to STARBURST that they’re gearing up to publish the first-ever collection of the hilarious cult digital comic strip 2 Dumb Dinos, and we’re not the
Read More

New Dates For Lovecraftian Key of Dreams

Key of Dreams has announced new spaces for its titular immersive luxury horror event. The critically acclaimed company is known for its overnight experiences that dunk you into a strange
Read More

FAB Café to Host Free Film Screening of New Indie Comedy SECRETS OF A WALLABY BOY

We’re well known for our championing of truly independent filmmakers here at STARBURST, so it’s doubly exciting to be writing about one of our own! After joining the crew in
Read More
colin farrell returns as oswald cobblepot in the penguin series trailer

Colin Farrell Returns In THE PENGUIN Trailer

Colin Farrell returns as Gotham City’s answer to Tony Soprano in the first trailer for Max series The Penguin, which spins out of the world of the 2022 DC film
Read More