Holy Ghost People | |
---|---|
Directed by | Mitchell Altieri |
Written by |
|
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Amanda Treyz |
Edited by |
|
Music by | Kevin Kerrigan |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | XLrator |
Release date | |
Running time | 88 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Holy Ghost People is a 2013 American psychological thriller directed by Mitchell Altieri and written by Kevin Artigue, Joe Egender, Altieri, and Phil Flores. It stars Emma Greenwell as a woman who goes in search of her missing sister, who has joined an isolated religious group.
After her sister Liz goes missing, Charlotte recruits Wayne, an ex-Marine, to help her locate Liz. Their search ends at a Pentecostal church headed by the charismatic Brother Billy. As Wayne becomes attracted to the church, details emerge that Liz may have been held against her will.
Holy Ghost People was meant to be an even-handed portrayal of Pentecostal Christians, and the film was written to explore both the positive and negative aspects of faith. The documentary Holy Ghost People served as partial inspiration. The film was shot in Tennessee at Camp Nakanawa after the filmmakers scouted locations in several other states. [2] In an interview, Altieri said he wanted to "get back to [his] roots and tell a gritty American tale." Real snakes were used. [3] Egender prepared for his role by watching videos of snake-handlers, whom he described as "charming and funny and charismatic. They are performers." [4]
Holy Ghost People premiered at the 2013 SXSW, where it was picked up for distribution by XLrator. [5] XLrator released it on video-on-demand on February 18, 2014, and it had a limited theatrical release three days later. [6] For the theatrical release, the film was revised to address concerns raised in the festival screenings, such as excessive narration. [7] The film is set for a Video on demand release on Hulu on 15 March 2015, as part of XLrator Media series Macabre. [8]
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 43% of seven critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 7.5/10. [9] J. Hurtado of Twitch Film wrote, "A film is only as good as its ending, and Holy Ghost People really had me going up until the ludicrous finale that conjures memories of some other great films, just rehashed and with less style." [10] Dennis Harvey of Variety also criticized the "underwhelming payoff", though he said the film is atmospheric and has a "promising buildup". [11] Jim Harrington of the San Jose Mercury News called it "a relentless psychological thriller that features a solid script and even better acting." [12] Heather Wixson of Dread Central rated it 3.5/5 stars and called it "an eerie exploration of power and religion" that is "an often hypnotic and surreal journey". [13] Joshua Starnes of Shock Till You Drop rated it 6/10 stars and wrote, "The production is slick and the film is beautifully shot, but it’s missing that spark to become more." [14] Evan Dickson of Bloody Disgusting rated it 3/5 stars and wrote that the film is "a well shot piece of work with an intriguing premise and several amazing performances", but the ending "teeters dangerously close" to going off the rails. [15] Scott Weinberg of Fearnet called it "easily [Altieri's and Flores'] most complete, cohesive, and compelling thriller yet." [16] Samuel Zimmerman of Fangoria rated it 2/5 stars and criticized the film's narration, which he states wrecks viewers' engagement with its redundancy. [17] Inkoo Kang of the Los Angeles Times wrote the film "boasts great performances and urgent, intimate camera work" but "makes nasty beasts of the very people Adair strived to humanize". Kang concludes, "Long before its feeble, drawn-out ending, it's clear no miracle can cure this film's many frailties." [18]
Mitchell Altieri is an American film director, producer and writer.
Pandemic is a 2016 American science fiction thriller film directed by John Suits and written by Dustin T. Benson. Rachel Nichols stars as a doctor who leads a group to find survivors of a worldwide pandemic. The film is shot in a first-person POV, similar to first-person shooter video games.
The Butcher Brothers are the filmmaking alter-egos of American film directors Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores.
Chained is a 2012 Canadian psychological horror film directed by Jennifer Lynch and based on a screenplay by Damian O'Donnell. Starring Vincent D'Onofrio as a serial killer and Eamon Farren as a young prisoner of the killer, it explores their relationship as the killer seeks to turn his captive into his protégé. Gina Philips, Conor Leslie, Jake Weber, and Julia Ormond appear in supporting roles.
Absentia is a 2011 American independent supernatural horror film written, edited and directed by Mike Flanagan and produced by FallBack Plan Productions. The film's principal photography phase was funded by way of the film's project page on crowdfunding website Kickstarter. Courtney Bell stars as a pregnant woman whose missing husband briefly reappears after an unexplained seven-year absence.
The Battery is a 2012 American drama horror film and the directorial debut of Jeremy Gardner. The film stars Gardner and co-producer Adam Cronheim as two former baseball players trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. The film premiered at the Telluride Horror Show in October 2012 and received a video-on-demand release June 4, 2013. It has won audience awards at several international film festivals.
Scenic Route, also known in the UK as Wrecked, is a 2013 American psychological thriller film written by Kyle Killen, directed by Kevin and Michael Goetz, and starring Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler. The film premiered at the 2013 South by Southwest Film Festival and was released on August 23, 2013.
The Conspiracy is a 2012 Canadian found footage conspiracy thriller horror film written and directed by Christopher MacBride. It features actors Aaron Poole, James Gilbert, Alan C. Peterson, and Julian Richings. It tells the story of two documentary filmmakers who set out to create a film about a conspiracy theorist named "Terrance G" who disappears during the making of the film. The two filmmakers are subsequently drawn into the world of a global syndicate whose aims and machinations are clouded in secrecy.
The Violent Kind is a 2010 American horror film directed by The Butcher Brothers, who co-wrote it with Adam Weis. It stars Cory Knauf, Taylor Cole, Bret Roberts, Christina Prousalis, Tiffany Shepis, Joseph McKelheer, Samuel Child, and Joe Egender. A group of bikers who go to a remote cabin to party, only for several people to become possessed. It has a 17% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
13 Sins is a 2014 American horror-thriller film directed by Daniel Stamm. The film is a remake of the 2006 Thai comedy horror film 13 Beloved. Mark Webber stars as Elliot, a meek salesman who accepts a series of increasingly disturbing and criminal challenges. It premiered at the 2014 SXSW film festival and was released theatrically in the United States on April 18, 2014. This was the final film appearance of George Coe before his death in 2015.
Entrance is a 2011 American independent film that mixes elements of mumblecore, psychological thrillers, and horror films. It was directed by Dallas Hallam and Patrick Horvath and was written by Hallam, Horvath, Karen Gorham, and Michelle Margolis. Suziey Block stars as a barista who lives a repetitive and anxious life in Los Angeles. When her beloved dog disappears, she decides to give up and move back home, but first she invites all her friends to a going-away party.
Solo is a 2013 Canadian mystery thriller film directed by Isaac Cravit and is the first film released under Shock Till You Drop's US film distribution branch. First released on August 29, 2013 in Canada, it stars Annie Clark as a teenager who finds herself terrorized after she is left alone in the woods for a two-night camp counselor initiation process.
CineMayhem is a film festival that celebrates independent horror films.
Resolution is a 2012 American horror film directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead, written by Benson, and starring Peter Cilella and Vinny Curran. Cilella plays a graphic designer and father-to-be named Michael who, after receiving a troubling email video of his drug-addicted best friend Chris, travels to a remote cabin to save him. The 2017 film The Endless shares the same creative universe as Resolution, and may be interpreted as a partial sequel.
Joe Egender, is an American actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with The Butcher Brothers, Holy Ghost People, and his television roles.
The Returned is a 2013 Spanish-Canadian thriller film directed by Manuel Carballo, written by Hatem Khraiche, and starring Emily Hampshire, Kris Holden-Ried, Shawn Doyle, and Claudia Bassols. When a rare and difficult to obtain medicine that requires daily doses to stave off the effects of a zombie infection runs low, a physician (Hampshire) and her infected husband (Holden-Ried) go on the run to avoid angry demonstrators.
Sake-Bomb is a 2013 film directed by Junya Sakino, written by Jeff Mizushima, and starring Gaku Hamada and Eugene Kim as cousins who embark on a road trip in California. It is a shared Japanese and American production. It premiered at the 2013 SXSW film festival.
The Invitation is a 2015 American horror film directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. The film stars Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman, and Emayatzy Corinealdi. The Invitation premiered March 13, 2015, at the SXSW film festival, and began a limited release on April 8, 2016, and through video on demand, by Drafthouse Films.
XLrator Media is an American film distributor headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The CEO is Barry Gordon, who founded the company in April 2010. In 2014, they began offering film production services in partnership with other companies.
The Diabolical is a 2015 American science fiction horror film directed by Alistair Legrand and written by Legrand and Luke Harvis. It stars Ali Larter as a single mother who battles evil forces in her house. It premiered at SXSW in March 2015 and, after being released internationally, received a limited release in the US in October 2015.