Restoration (2016)
Starring Emily Roya O’Brien, Zack Ward, Adrian Gaeta, Sarah Ann Schultz
Directed by Zack Ward
When I watch a movie, I want a few things from it: characters I can like, an interesting plot, and a twist at the end. Zack Ward’s Restoration gave me all three!
It’s a wonderfully done, suspenseful horror movie with ghosts, a mystery, and of course, with James Cullen Bressack (Pernicious, Hate Crime) as one of the writers, it has a bit of gore as well, but not too much. It’s a well written story that slowly unfolds, and though it has some suspenseful moments, it’s not over-the-top nor is it ridiculous. It’s good, really good, and it kept me interested until the very end.
As we start the movie, we meet the two main characters: Rebecca (Emily Roya O’Brien, Pernicious) and Todd (Adrian Gaeta, The Finalist), whose performances together were quite authentic. They worked well together, and this made for a much more realistic plot. I enjoyed them as a couple and found myself really caring for what they were going through as their performances were raw and genuine.
Back to the plot… Rebecca and Todd have recently bought a new house and are restoring it, hence the name “Restoration,” and while doing so, they find a bear hidden inside the walls. What’s inside the bear sets the movie in motion and unlocks a really interesting mystery along the way.
Soon after we meet neighbors Harold (Zack Ward) and Francine (Sarah Ann Schultz, The River Murders), who are a strange duo played wonderfully by Zack and Sarah. As neighbors, they are a bit overwhelming at times and mysterious, but they genuinely want to get to know Rebecca and Todd and become fast friends. The chemistry was there among the four, but still there was some tension, which helped in the build-up of the movie’s plot as it thickened.
Then we dive right into the mystery and intense tension and find ourselves immersed in a sea of horror. We feel for the characters as their lives are turning upside down; yet, they believe in each other and never give up.
I love a good mystery, and this movie gave me one as well as a great twist at the end, and for that I’m giving it my horror movie seal of approval.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
