The
best kind of horror is always the unseen, the mystery of the unknown, and to
top it all, a sense of feeling that a foreign presence is somewhere near you.
The Casebook of Eddie Brewer does exactly that as its protagonist Eddie Brewer,
a paranormal expert, goes out and about attending to calls all the while being
followed by a camera crew.
Ian Brooker as Eddie Brewer gives an outstanding performance as a man who not only has the task of figuring out whether the supernatural incidents he is called for are hoaxes or not, but also simultaneously has to continuously fight to explain his stand on the entire phenomenon as accusations are made on how genuine is the paranormal field.
The Casebook of Eddie Brewer places the audience in a much more knowing situation. They are able to see things that the character aren't, still the feeling of dread, suspense, and the slowly rising tension is good enough to give a few jumps and scares even to the ardent horror fan.
The filming is done primarily through handheld cameras, that of the camera crew, with instances when the view point changes to either stable cameras installed by the paranormal research teams or at times the scenes run just like a normal film. Although different techniques are used throughout the film be it in the editing, the cuts, the camera work, it all comes together smoothly with continuous transitions.
While
the acting by almost the entire cast is the strongest aspect of the film, the
story manages to remain complex enough to keep the audience interested.
Unfortunately, the climax proves to be a huge let down as it comes rather close
to imitating the Blair Witch Project's ending scenes, albeit in a somewhat
modern setting.
The film is a wonderful approach to the horror genre with a complex character at the very core of the story that brings about a humane aspect to the entire paranormal proceedings. The Casebook of Eddie Brewer is especially recommended if you like your scares but want to avoid the blood and gore. It emphasizes more on the story and the sounds rather than the visuals when it comes to the frights, and that is where is succeeds.
Rating 3.5/5
