Conjurer | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Directed by | Clint Hutchison |
Written by | Clint Hutchison David Yarbrough |
Produced by | Lance W. Dreesen Clint Hutchison |
Starring | Andrew Bowen Maxine Bahns John Schneider |
Cinematography | Ken Blakey |
Edited by | Otto Arsenault |
Music by | Dana Niu |
Production company | Red Five Entertainment |
Distributed by | Monarch Home Video |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Conjurer is a 2008 supernatural horror film directed by Clint Hutchison and written by Hutchison and David Yarbrough. [1] The film had its world premiere on 11 September 2008 at the SoCal Independent Film Festival and was released to DVD on 25 November of the same year. It stars Andrew Bowen as a photographer caught up in a haunting.
For the past year, photographer Shawn Burnett (Andrew Bowen) and his wife Helen (Maxine Bahns) have been grieving the loss of their first child, which died in Helen's womb before it could be carried to term. They're hoping that a move to the country will help them both heal and move on with their lives. Shawn is somewhat irritated that the move involves him taking charity from Helen's brother Frank Higgins (John Schneider), but he's willing to do whatever he can if it will give Helen solace. Frank promises that he will build the two of them a brand new house, but until the construction is done they must stay in an older house with a decrepit cabin in the backyard. Shortly after they move in, Helen becomes pregnant again.
Shawn is fascinated when he discovers via some neighbors that the cabin is reported to be haunted by the ghost of a witch that curses anyone trying to get pregnant, seeking revenge against a husband who murdered her own child years ago. While investigating the legend, Shawn injures himself on a tooth left in the cabin and develops a severe infection. As the infection worsens Shawn begins to experience strange visions and events, unsure if they are real or delusions triggered by the infection and a possible latent mental illness, as his own father murdered his wife and then killed himself. This worries Shawn as either way this poses a potential threat to Helen, either by the witch's hand or by Shawn's possible mental illness, and he decides that he will get Helen out of that place. This puts him at odds with Frank, who believes the land to be completely safe.
As things grow more strange and Shawn becomes more unstable, things culminate in a chase scene that ends with Shawn firing a gun at his wife. Authorities are called to the scene and Shawn tries to explain the story of the witch, only to be told that there is no witch and that the neighbors (who had told him the story) never existed. He's then taken to a mental institution, leaving Helen to live in the house by herself. The film ends with Helen listening to a phone message from Shawn and then turning to the camera with a malevolent look, leaving it up to the viewer to decide if the events in the film are the result of Shawn's psychosis or if there actually is a witch and that she has possessed Helen at some point during the movie.
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2017) |
Conjurer was released on DVD by Monarch Home Video November 25, 2008. [2]
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2017) |
Critical reception for Conjurer has been positive. [3] Dread Central gave the film three out of five blades and praised the movie's acting and directing. [4] LA Weekly also praised the movie, which they stated had "a thick mood of gothic dread". [5]
Cabin Fever is a 2002 American comedy horror film co-written and directed by Eli Roth and the first installment in the Cabin Fever franchise. The film stars Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, James DeBello, Cerina Vincent, Joey Kern, and Giuseppe Andrews. Inspired by a real-life experience where Roth developed a skin infection during a trip to Iceland, the story follows a group of college students who rent a cabin in the woods and fall victim to an unknown flesh-eating disease.
Pumpkinhead is a 1988 American supernatural horror film. It was the directorial debut of special effects artist Stan Winston. The film has built up a cult following since its release. The first in the Pumpkinhead franchise, it was followed by a direct-to-video sequel, two TV film sequels, and a comic book series. The film was originally called Vengeance: The Demon and it was inspired by a poem written by poet Ed Justin. The film inspired a video game called Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead's Revenge.
Dead End is a 2003 English-language French horror film written and directed by Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa, and starring Alexandra Holden, Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Mick Cain, Billy Asher, and Amber Smith. It tells the story of a dysfunctional family who find themselves on a never-ending road in the middle of a forest during a routine drive on Christmas Eve, while under pursuit of a mysterious hearse and a woman dressed in white.
Rider King Strong is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for starring as Shawn Hunter on the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World (1993–2000), which he reprised in its sequel series Girl Meets World (2014–2017). He also headlined the cult classic Cabin Fever (2002) and co-wrote and directed the independent film Irish Twins (2008) with his brother Shiloh. He provided the voices of Brick Flagg in Kim Possible (2002–2004) and Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama (2005), and Tom Lucitor in Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2015–2019). In 2015, Strong was honored with the Young Artist Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award.
Autopsy is a 2008 American horror film directed by Adam Gierasch. It premiered on August 24, 2008, in the United Kingdom at the London FrightFest Film Festival and was selected as one of After Dark Horrorfest's "Eight Films to Die For". The films stars Michael Bowen, Jessica Lowndes, Ashley Schneider, Robert Patrick and Jenette Goldstein. Filming took place in Louisiana. The film received a mostly positive critical reception.
Alone in the Dark is a 1982 American slasher film co-written and directed by Jack Sholder in his directorial debut, and starring Jack Palance, Martin Landau, Donald Pleasence, Dwight Schultz, and Erland Van Lidth. The plot follows a psychiatrist's family who are besieged by four escaped mental patients during a power blackout. Following Stunts and Polyester, it was one of the first films produced by New Line Cinema.
Andrew Bowen is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on Mad TV and voices Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat.
Maxine Lee Bahns is an American actress, triathlete, and model. She is best known for roles in the films The Brothers McMullen and She's the One, appearing in both as the love interest of her then-boyfriend, Edward Burns, who directed both films. She also appeared, uncredited, as the murdered wife of the protagonist of the television show The Mentalist.
Charles Bryant Pierce was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, set decorator, cinematographer, and actor. Pierce directed thirteen films over the span of 26 years, but is best known for his cult hits The Legend of Boggy Creek (1973) and The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976).
Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever is a 2009 American comedy horror film directed by Ti West. It is a sequel to the 2002 film Cabin Fever and the second installment in the Cabin Fever franchise. The film stars Noah Segan, Rusty Kelley, Alexi Wasser, Marc Senter, Rider Strong and Giuseppe Andrews, with Strong and Andrews reprising their roles from the first film. The film is about a high school prom that descends into chaos when a deadly flesh-eating bacteria spreads via a popular brand of bottled water.
Darren Lynn Bousman is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the Saw films: Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, and Spiral. He also directed the horror musicals Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Devil's Carnival movies. Bousman is co-creator and writer of alternate reality games (ARG) and immersive experiences, The Tension Experience (2016), The Lust Experience (2017), Theatre Macabre (2018), iConfidant (2020), and One Day Die (2020).
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American psychological horror film written, directed, and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. One of the most successful independent films of all time, it is a "found footage" mockumentary in which three students hike into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland, to shoot a documentary about a local myth known as the Blair Witch.
Adam Wingard is an American filmmaker. He has served as a film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, cinematographer, actor, and composer on numerous American films.
Home Movie is a 2008 found footage psychological horror film and is the directorial debut of actor Christopher Denham.
The Hills Run Red is a 2009 American slasher film directed by Dave Parker and written by David J. Schow and starring Sophie Monk, Tad Hilgenbrink and William Sadler. The film was released as direct-to-DVD on September 29, 2009, and received mixed reviews.
Dead Fury is a 2008 American animated comedy horror parody film written and directed by Frank Sudol, with Sudol also doing all animation, music, and voice characterizations. The film debuted at the Philadelphia Film Festival April 9, 2008, and was released on DVD August 5, 2008, through Unearthed Films.
V/H/S is a 2012 American found footage horror anthology film and the first installment in the V/H/S franchise created by Brad Miska and Bloody Disgusting, and produced by Miska and Roxanne Benjamin. It features a series of six found footage shorts written and directed by Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, and the filmmaking collective Radio Silence.
Exists is a 2014 American found footage monster horror film, directed by Eduardo Sánchez. The film had its world premiere on March 7, 2014, at South by Southwest, and stars Chris Osborn and Samuel Davis. The story revolves around a group of friends hunted by something in the woods of East Texas. Following the darker psychological tone of Sánchez's previous film Lovely Molly, the film returns to the creature-feature horror of Altered, also written by Jamie Nash.
Found Footage 3D is a 2016 American found footage horror film. It is the debut feature film of writer/director Steven DeGennaro, and was produced by Texas Chainsaw Massacre co-creator Kim Henkel. It is the first found footage horror movie shot natively in 3D. Filming began on May 26, 2014 in Gonzales, Texas, starring Carter Roy, Alena von Stroheim, Chris O'Brien, Tom Saporito, Scott Allen Perry, Jessica Perrin, and Scott Weinberg, and wrapped mid-June 2014.
The Cabining is a 2014 horror comedy directed by Steve Kopera. The story centers on two failing screenwriters who travel to a remote artists’ retreat, seeking inspiration. The retreat proves anything but serene, as the artists die off one-by-one.