To be honest I was a bit impressed. It felt like the team who created this movie is quite young and many actors to me are unknown (except for the one who played the mother), but the acting from youngsters is actually truly wonderful.
The story is quite simple, yet it's not bad and the movie is shot nicely.
But this horror movie is more like a metaphor to drug abuse when one couldn't cope with the loss of a loved one. And I mention it so openly because it felt like this idea was put forward quite early: visually through the seanse(s) and verbally through the mother's monologue. And from that point I couldn't get rid of it and could not watch it as a horror movie, because many consequent episodes only solidified it as a fact to me. Before that, a second is given to the synopsis.
Synopsis: A bunch of teenagers were swept at the parties by new fun - a hand that is said to belong to a medium. The ritual allows you to connect to the otherworld and open the door for demons to enter the body and experience new thrill. There is a time limit for the ritual though, so in case the time exceeds the limit the demon might stay. Mia, who could not cope with the loss of her mother, joins such a party and volunteers to experience the thrill, but her time exceeded the limit.
Visuals: The reason I say it's very much like allegory to drug abuse starts from the choice of make-up. When Mia allowed the demon to come in her reaction was simply a copy of a person who got high (not that I'm an expert, but I don't live under a rock, just the act itself and the visually enlarging eyes).
This shot comes before her eyes become almost completely black. And I don't know they always have this strange rugged make-up around eyes and the mouth.
Funnily, when it comes to others around her, they don't seem surprised, except very few who had no idea what is going on they simply hadd too much fun.
These parties have two core figures who are responsible for carrying the hand, which could be called the current owners of the hand. Truly feels like allowing a sheep into pack of wolves who are on the same side enter the den and someone will tell you - try it~, it won't hurt.
And Mia's ecstatic reaction afterwards, what else should I add? :) Isn't it obvious?
But somehow when the mother mentioned Mia taking drugs it nailed it for me, from that point I couldn't see it as a horror. Despite the ghosts/demons, despite the cool sfx make-up that looked disgusting, meaning done really well.
The fun might be fun, but the demon might have been playing tricks on Mia at that time, because demons lie, so we can assume there are two choices: 1) During that party it was Mia's mother; 2) It was another demon knowing that Mia misses her mother and she's most vulnerable to be trapped.
So their personal party ends really badly, because Mia refuses to let the arm go, while the boy was posessed and in the end he wounded himself really badly. Again, made me think one of the shows, but I forgot which one where they met a person acting crazy (like zombies in the apocalyptic movies), but those were obviously substances.
Of course this episode shocks everyone, but Mia's reaction of stupor is the hardest (honestly, the actress did a wonderful job). She seeks answers and is not afraid of connecting with the hand without help of others. But is there a truth in what the arm can offer? And can you believe in what the demon says?
So yeah, quite a simple play of the demon who indulged Mia into believing that her mother did not commit suicide and did not leave her, although all proves were presented to her, but when you refuse to believe, you won't believe. In the end she was convinced to do something to the boy who was injured, but as a result he was saved by his sister, but /~spoilers~/ she did not escape. At first it feels like she woke up, but we know soon that no one sees her and she's now on the other side.
The only thing I did not like at the very end is the need to show Mia sitting across a bunch of people, that scene where she sees stretched out hand above a candle and takes it was enough to end with the dark screen. Don't make it so obvious that now she's in a spirit form and was lured here.
As a horror it's not scary, but having that strong homage this movie is played almost like a drama, which you can interpret.
RATE: 7/10. Great camera work, a bit simplistic story, but it's okay, great acting, sfx make-up is awsome. The granny at the end though. In general it's quite watchable :)
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