Jessabelle

Last updated
Jessabelle
Jessabelle film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kevin Greutert
Written by Robert Ben Garant
Produced by Jason Blum
Starring
Cinematography Michael Fimognari
Edited byKevin Greutert
Music by Anton Sanko
Production
companies
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date
  • November 7, 2014 (2014-11-07)(United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget
  • $4 million [1]
Box office$7 million [2]

Jessabelle is a 2014 American supernatural horror film directed and edited by Kevin Greutert and written by Ben Garant. [3] The film stars Sarah Snook, Mark Webber, David Andrews, Joelle Carter, and Ana de la Reguera. The film was released by Lionsgate on November 7, 2014.

Contents

Plot

Jessie, who is pregnant, is about to move to her fiancé, Mark's house when their car is hit by a truck just when they are backing up their car from the driveway, killing Mark and causing Jessie's miscarriage. Two months afterward, Jessie, who now uses a wheelchair, moves in with her estranged father, Leon, in St. Francisville, Louisiana. She resides in her mother's former bedroom. Her mother, Kate, died due to a brain tumor shortly after she was born, with Leon subsequently leaving her to be raised by her aunt.

One day, Jessie finds a box containing four videotapes shot by Kate. Addressing Jessie by her full name, she congratulates her on her 18th birthday and gives a tarot reading about Death that tells of a transition, taught to her by a friend whom she met at a local church. Kate warns that an unwanted presence is haunting Jessie, a reading that turns out to be true, as Jessie feels that a gaunt black-haired woman is haunting her every since she moved back into her father's house. Jessie also has a vivid dream where she is strapped to a bed by her mother and witnesses a voodoo ritual being conducted, where blood flowing into a breathing machine chokes her. Leon repeatedly tries to dissuade Jessie from watching the tapes by breaking the first one and throwing Jessie's wheelchair into the bayou.

One day, Jessie has a frightening encounter in the bathtub with the same woman during a physical therapy session. After lifting Jessie onto Kate's old wheelchair, Leon coerces her physical therapist into leaving the house. After telling Jessie that the Kate in the tapes is not her mother due to the tumors she had, Leon attempts to burn all of the tapes, but a supernatural force burns him alive inside the yard shed.

During Leon's funeral, Jessie reunites with her high school friend, Preston, but collapses after she sees a severely burned man (Vaughan Wilson). After Preston leaves from tending to Jessie, she watches the third tape, which was focused on Leon and Kate in an outing and their Christmas party with the announcement of the latter's pregnancy, and the fourth tape, in which it focused on the foretold tarot readings and Kate tearfully shouting "You're dead!" before the footage cut off. After watching the tape, Jessie notices the woman behind her in the mirror. The mirror then shatters, and Jessie discovers a small secret compartment holding a tape (that wasn't found in the box) with no label on it that she opts not to watch. The next day, Jessie and Preston head across a nearby bayou, which Jessie has been suspicious of since observing glittering light and flames appearing there. The two discover voodoo icons and effects, as well as a grave of "Jessabelle" with a baby's skeleton, dated on Jessie's birthday, which they turn over to Sheriff Pruitt for DNA testing. Jessie and Preston then visit the house of Mrs. Davis, the mother of one of their friends and the Laurents' former family cook, who speaks about Moses Harper, Kate's aforementioned friend from her church mentioned in the second tape. Thinking that Moses may be involved in supernatural occurrences, the two head to Moses' voodoo shrine in a ruined church, but are attacked by a group of men who force them to leave.

The two return to Jessie's home where Preston confesses that, despite being married, he is in love with Jessie. Preston offers to let Jessie live with his mother, which she accepts. Just before Jessie can finish her packing; Preston is attacked by the ghostly woman and knocked unconscious.

Now left alone, Jessie conducts a ritual to summon the woman. After the ritual, Jessie is called by Pruitt, who informs her that the baby was Kate's daughter, but not Leon's. She plays the blank tape which presents Kate casting a voodoo enchantment on a newborn white girl and committing suicide by gunshot, not before tearfully shouting that Jessabelle and her father Moses are dead, attempting to suffocate the infant girl with a pillow, and changing her mind to conduct the incantation. Jessie is confronted by Kate's spirit and realizes the truth that her "father" was hiding from her: the videotapes filmed were for Jessabelle, who was the daughter of Kate and Moses as the product of an interracial affair at the same church mentioned in the second tape. Jessabelle was killed on the night of her birth, along with her father, by Leon. On that night, Leon scolded Kate for being unfaithful, picked up Jessabelle from her crib, and snapped her spine in half. After Kate laments as she holds her daughter's now-lifeless body, Leon pushed a baby carriage carrying her lifeless body and a porcelain doll inside into the bayou, weighing it down with stones to prevent it from resurfacing. Leon then drove up to Kate and Moses' church where he shot Moses and set the building ablaze, leaving Moses for dead in the burning church. Jessie realizes that she is the unwanted presence, being the newborn white girl adopted by Leon on that same night to cover up the murders.

Swearing revenge, Kate and Moses planned to transfer Jessabelle's spirit to Jessie. Jessie is pushed by Kate and Moses' spirits towards the bayou and into it, where the biracial spirit of Jessabelle swims up and takes her mother's bracelet, resurfacing back in the same white physical body of Jessie. Preston jumps in to save her and she kisses him and asks him to take her home. When Pruitt asks "Miss Laurent" if she is all right, she replies "It's Jessabelle".

Cast

Production

Greutert was approached to direct Jessabelle a year after the release of Saw 3D and, after reading through the script, agreed to direct. [4] [5] Filming was initially meant to take place in Louisiana, where the film is set, but was forced to move to Wilmington, North Carolina after no appropriate filming location could be located. [4] in April 2012, it was reported Amber Stevens, Ana de la Reguera, Sarah Snook and Mark Webber had all been cast in the film. [6]

Release

Greutert edited the film on his own and initially, the film was slated to release on January 10, 2014, [7] [8] The film was later pushed back to an August 29 release date before it was given a limited release and video on demand release on November 7. [9] [10]

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 28% of 36 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads "Jessabelle hints at a bright future for star Sarah Snook, but clouds her performance with a clichéd—and tasteless—storyline". [11] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average rating of 37 out of 100, based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [12]

Justin Chang wrote in Variety, "Making atmospheric use of the Louisiana locations, Michael Fimognari’s digital lensing alternates nicely between pleasingly sun-drenched exteriors and sewer-toned nighttime interiors," but concluded, "novel twists and effective scares prove few and far between in this ludicrous bayou gothic." [13] Sheila O'Mally wrote, "Steeped in Southern Gothic melodrama, Jessabelle is interesting in some of the small details, and in its strong sense of the Louisiana bayou atmosphere, and then it completely falls apart when it starts being a horror film. [14] In The New York Post, Sarah Stewart called the film, " occasionally shivery, (but) overly familiar. [15] Slant Magazine and IGN both panned the film, [16] with IGN stating that "Jessabelle's familiar trickery and repetitive screams sucks the life out of a promising Southern bayou atmosphere." [17] Jordan Hoffman wrote in The New York Daily News, "There are few scares here, but plenty of mild grossness. The absurd ending ties up the mystery in a way that’s sure to annoy both supernaturalists and realists." [18] Alan Scherstuhl wrote in Village Voice, "There's a couple fine (but gratingly shriek-y) ghost scares, and some grandly ripe (and dopily predictable) VHS messages from beyond the grave. But the mystery drags, its clues never really registering — they just accumulate, along with hints of backstory, a laundry-like pile you would prefer not to deal with but will have to sort through eventually." [19]

Fangoria was more positive in their review, writing "If the buildup is more satisfying than the payoff, Jessabelle remains a creditable attempt to do something a little different and down-to-Earth on the paranormal scene." [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Hudson</span> American actress and singer (born 1979)

Kate Garry Hudson is an American actress and singer. She has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a nomination for an Academy Award.

<i>Eulogy</i> (film) 2004 film by Michael Clancy

Eulogy is a 2004 comedy-drama film written and directed by Michael Clancy. An international co-production between companies from Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the film follows a dysfunctional family as secrets come to light at the funeral of the family's patriarch. The film was given a limited theatrical release and grossed just under $90,000 against a $10 million budget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ana de la Reguera</span> Mexican actress

Anabell Gardoqui de la Reguera is a Mexican actress. She has starred in telenovelas, films, the HBO television series Eastbound & Down and Capadocia, the Amazon television series Goliath, and the 2006 comedy Nacho Libre.

<i>Eves Bayou</i> 1997 American drama film by Kasi Lemmons

Eve's Bayou is a 1997 American Southern Gothic drama film written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, who made her directorial debut with this film. Samuel L. Jackson served as a producer, and starred in the film with Lisa Nicole Carson, Jurnee Smollett, Lynn Whitfield, Debbi Morgan, Meagan Good, and Diahann Carroll. The film premiered at the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in theaters on November 7, 1997. The film grossed $14 million domestically on a budget of $4 million, making it the most commercially successful independent film of 1997.

<i>Little Children</i> (film) 2006 American film

Little Children is a 2006 satirical melodrama film directed by Todd Field, based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta who co-wrote the screenplay with Field. It follows Sarah Pierce, an unhappy housewife who has an affair with a married neighbor. Also starring are Jennifer Connelly, Jackie Earle Haley, Noah Emmerich, Gregg Edelman, Phyllis Somerville, and Will Lyman.

<i>The Rage: Carrie 2</i> 1999 film by Katt Shea

The Rage: Carrie 2 is a 1999 American supernatural horror film directed by Katt Shea, and starring Emily Bergl, Jason London, Dylan Bruno, J. Smith-Cameron and Amy Irving. The film is a sequel to the 1976 horror film Carrie based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Stephen King, and serves as the second film in the Carrie franchise. The film was originally titled The Curse and did not have connections to the Carrie novel or film, but was eventually rewritten to be a direct sequel to the 1976 film. Its plot follows the younger half-sister of Carrie White (Bergl), also suffering with telekinesis, who finds that her best friend's suicide was spurred by a group of popular male classmates who exploited her for sexual gain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joelle Carter</span> American actress (born 1972)

Joelle Marie Carter is an American actress. She is known for playing Ava Crowder in the FX series Justified, and Laura Nagel in the NBC show Chicago Justice, part of the One Chicago universe.

<i>The Princess and the Frog</i> 2009 Disney animated film

The Princess and the Frog is a 2009 American animated musical romantic fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is inspired in part by the 2002 novel The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker, which in turn is based on the German folk tale "The Frog Prince" as collected by the Brothers Grimm. The film was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements and produced by Peter Del Vecho, from a screenplay that Clements and Musker co-wrote with Rob Edwards. The directors also co-wrote the story with the writing team of Greg Erb and Jason Oremland. The film stars the voices of Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jim Cummings, Jennifer Cody, John Goodman, Keith David, Peter Bartlett, Jenifer Lewis, Oprah Winfrey, and Terrence Howard. Set in New Orleans during the 1920s, the film tells the story of a hardworking waitress named Tiana who dreams of opening her own restaurant. After kissing prince Naveen, who has been turned into a frog by the evil voodoo witch doctor Facilier, Tiana becomes a frog as well and the two must find a way to turn human again before it is too late.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Greutert</span> American film editor

Kevin Greutert is an American film editor and director, best known for his work on the Saw film series, as well as character-based supernatural horrors. He is married to actress Elizabeth Rowin.

<i>Saw VI</i> 2009 film by Kevin Greutert

Saw VI is a 2009 horror film directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. The film stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge, and Shawnee Smith. It is a sequel to 2008's Saw V and the sixth installment in the Saw film series.

<i>Saw 3D</i> 2010 film by Kevin Greutert

Saw 3D is a 2010 American 3D horror film directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is a sequel to 2009's Saw VI and the seventh installment in the Saw film series. The film stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Cary Elwes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Snook</span> Australian actress (born 1987)

Sarah Ruth Snook is an Australian actress. She is best known for her starring role as Shiv Roy in the HBO drama series Succession (2018–2023), for which she won two Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.

<i>Carrie</i> (2013 film) 2013 film by Kimberly Peirce

Carrie is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed by Kimberly Peirce. It is the third film adaptation and a remake of the 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's 1974 novel of the same name and the fourth film in the Carrie franchise. The film was produced by Kevin Misher, with a screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The film stars Chloë Grace Moretz as the titular character Carrie White, alongside Julianne Moore as Margaret White. The cast also features Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Gabriella Wilde, Ansel Elgort and Alex Russell. The film is a modern re-imagining of King's novel about a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who uses her telekinetic powers with devastating effect after falling victim to a cruel prank at her senior prom.

<i>Before I Wake</i> (2016 film) 2016 film by Mike Flanagan

Before I Wake is a 2016 American dark fantasy horror film directed and edited by Mike Flanagan, and co-written by Flanagan and Jeff Howard. The film stars Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay, Annabeth Gish, Topher Bousquet and Dash Mihok. Before I Wake premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 31, 2016, and Netflix released it in the United States on January 5, 2018. The film grossed over $4.9 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics.

<i>The Dressmaker</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Jocelyn Moorhouse

The Dressmaker is a 2015 Australian comedy drama film co-written and directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Rosalie Ham. It stars Kate Winslet as femme fatale dressmaker, Myrtle "Tilly" Dunnage, who returns to a small Australian town to take care of her ailing, mentally unstable mother. The film explores the themes of revenge and creativity and was described by Moorhouse as "Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven with a sewing machine". The film was internationally co-financed between Australia and the United States. The vocal accent of Winslet with an Australian accent was universally lauded and is widely considered to be one of the greatest Australian accents by an actor not native to Australia, as well as one of the best foreign accents delivered in global film.

<i>Fifty Shades Freed</i> (film) 2018 film directed by James Foley

Fifty Shades Freed is a 2018 American erotic romantic drama film directed by James Foley and written by Niall Leonard, based on E. L. James's 2012 novel of the same name. Produced by Perfect World Pictures, Michael De Luca Productions, and Trigger Street Productions, and distributed by Universal Pictures, it is the third and final installment in the Fifty Shades film series, following Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) and Fifty Shades Darker (2017). The film stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, respectively, and follows the couple as they marry, and must deal with Ana's former boss Jack Hyde, who begins to stalk them.

<i>Holidays</i> (2016 film) 2016 American film

Holidays is a 2016 American horror anthology film of short horror films, each inspired by a different celebration. The directors include Kevin Smith, Gary Shore, Adam Egypt Mortimer, Scott Stewart, Nicholas McCarthy, Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch, Sarah Adina Smith, and Anthony Scott Burns.

<i>Hush</i> (2016 film) 2016 film by Mike Flanagan

Hush is a 2016 American slasher film directed and edited by Mike Flanagan, and starring Kate Siegel, who also co-wrote the film with Flanagan. The film co-stars John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan, and Emilia "Emma" Graves. It was jointly produced by Trevor Macy through Intrepid Pictures and Jason Blum through Blumhouse Productions.

<i>Geralds Game</i> (film) 2017 film by Mike Flanagan

Gerald's Game is a 2017 American psychological horror thriller film directed and edited by Mike Flanagan, and screenplay written by Flanagan with Jeff Howard. It is based on Stephen King's 1992 novel of the same name, long thought to be unfilmable. The film stars Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood as a married couple who arrive at an isolated house for a holiday. When the husband dies of a sudden heart attack, his wife, left handcuffed to the bed without the key and with little hope of rescue, must find a way to survive, all while battling her inner demons.

<i>Saw X</i> 2023 film by Kevin Greutert

Saw X is a 2023 American horror film directed and edited by Kevin Greutert and written by Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg. The film is the tenth installment in the Saw film series, serving as a direct interquel set between Saw (2004) and Saw II (2005). It stars Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith, who reprise their roles from the previous films, alongside Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Renata Vaca, and Michael Beach. The film sees John Kramer (Bell) travelling to Mexico in hopes that an experimental procedure may cure his terminal cancer. John later discovers that the operation is a scam, prompting him to kidnap those responsible and subject them to his trademark death traps as retribution, with Amanda Young (Smith) acting as his accomplice.

References

  1. ↑ "Feature Film Study" (PDF). Film L.A. Inc. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Jessabelle (2014) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  3. ↑ Wixson, Heather (7 November 2014). "Exclusive Interview: Kevin Greutert Talks Jessabelle, New Projects & Reflects on the Saw Franchise". Daily Dead. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  4. 1 2 Vaughn, Vivienne. "Q&A: "SAW" Veteran Kevin Greutert Heads South for "JESSABELLE"". Fangoria. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  5. ↑ Turek, Ryan. "Shock Interview: Jessabelle Director Kevin Greutert". Shock Till You Drop. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Amber Stevens & Ana de la Reguera Join 'Jessabelle'". 24 April 2012.
  7. ↑ Kenber, Ben (7 November 2014). "Exclusive Interview With Kevin Greutert On Jessabelle". We Got This Covered. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "Locally filmed 'Ghosts' set for January 2014 release". starnewsonline.com. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Lionsgate Dates Addicted, Delays Jessabelle". Coming Soon. 17 September 2013. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Jessabelle (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Jessabelle". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "Jessabelle Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Film Review: 'Jessabelle'". 3 November 2014.
  14. ↑ "Jessabelle movie review & film summary (2014) | Roger Ebert".
  15. ↑ "Overused horror motifs make 'Jessabelle' a laugh, not a scare". 5 November 2014.
  16. ↑ McCarthy, Nick (6 November 2014). "Jessabelle (review)". Slant. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  17. ↑ Patches, Matt (6 November 2014). "Jessabelle (review)". IGN. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  18. ↑ "'Jessabelle,' movie review". New York Daily News . 5 November 2014.
  19. ↑ "The Only Suspense in Jessabelle: How Racist Will It Get?". 5 November 2014.
  20. ↑ ""Jessabelle" (Movie Review)". Fangoria. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.