190 - The Taking of Deborah Logan

    While filming a documentary on the deterioration of an Alzheimer’s patient, the crew finds that weirder, more supernatural things are going on.
    I didn’t expect this to be a found-footage movie, but it was.  It plays like most of them.  The typical scares, the shaky camera, the occasional steady shot, the running-in-the-dark sequences.  I’m tired of that.  The story itself is decent, and it sets up some interesting backstory, and a few interesting visuals for the finale.  But there are still things - like the teleportation bits - that are never explained, and they’re only there to make things strange.
    The characters are mostly irrelevant, although the cameraman that leaves before the end is probably the best drawn of them.  And actually, the lead, playing Deborah Logan, is actually pretty good, since she plays her symptoms very well.
    I know this sounds like I didn’t like it, but it’s an alright movie.  For what it is, it kept my attention, and there’s something to be said for that.
    I wish that Blair Witch hadn’t established so much of an influence on all of these found-footage movies.  I think it helped to sell the idea that people are especially scary when they stand motionless, looking away from the camera.  It was the most effective portion of Blair Witch, but shouldn’t these movies strive for more?

     Mild spoiler - the highlight of the movie is some of the effects work during the last few minutes, as the possessed Deborah Logan somehow attempts to swallow a young girl whole.  It's much stranger to see it in motion.
     There are odd ideas in the movie that are never explained to satisfaction.  She's possessed by the spirit or of a dead serial killer, who was trying to achieve immortality, but was killed before the last victim could be killed.  His rituals had a lot to do with snakes and things like that.  Somehow, as the possession of her grows, she takes on a few snake-like qualities.  Scaly skin on her back, spitting venom, and finally, being able to try to swallow people whole.  Strange stuff.