The first time we heard about Angel from writer and director Tory Jones was when the Indiegogo campaign launched in 2017. The campaign, which was a success, promised an original atmospheric thriller set in haunting locations that avoids the usual slasher cliches. Now, let’s dive in and see if it delivers what was promised. Don’t worry, this will be spoiler-free.
After a young girl goes missing in a rural area, her father hires a team of investigative journalists to look into her disappearance. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the town that the disappearance occurred in has been closed off to the outside world, sitting abandoned and deteriorating. Missing person cases, as well as a brutal history, have led to rumors about the town being haunted, which helps keep people away. The team of journalists are joined by a previous resident of the town, who reluctantly agrees to guide them through the town. They quickly find out that the danger lurking about isn’t quite what they thought, but it is very real.
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It was evident from the crowdfunding campaign that the location was extremely important to Jones and the crew. The work they put into scouting for the setting of their dilapidated town certainly paid off, as it was interesting to look at, creepy, and made for beautiful moody and atmospheric shots. The opening had me immediately hooked, which includes the girl’s disappearance and a perfect aerial view of the town.
Aside from location, a lot of the film’s visuals were riding on Angel herself. While I won’t go into specifics about what exactly is going on with the character, the look was exactly what we wanted based on the teasers we’ve seen along the way. Another thing going for the film was the music from indie horror filmmaker Shawn Burkett (Don’t Fuck in the Woods). It was well-placed throughout and very effective.
While Angel has quite a bit going for it as an indie feature, I found the acting to be inconsistent at times. Actors would overact in some situations while not quite pulling off dramatic responses at other times. Aside from a few standout moments, it didn’t take too much away from the film.
Angel is coming soon from Concept Media.
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