Writer: Skyler Caleb, Woodrow Wilson Hancock III, James Zimbardi (Screenplay)
Starring: James Zimbardi, Skyler Caleb, Jean Smart, Emily Somers, Andrea Hunt, Robert R Shafer
Plot: After the mysterious disappearance of their mother, estranged brothers reunite and discover an unknown supernatural force.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Shock Filled Horror
Story: Awaken the Shadowman starts as Adam Morris (Zimbardi) and his wife Beth (Somers) get called back to the family home by his brother Jake (Caleb) after their mother Evette (Smart) has gone missing.
Returning home brings back bad memories for Adam and once he arrives things start to come off strange, we have a welcoming committee which Adam doesn’t know, blacked out eyed dolls known as watchers and a young charismatic preacher Lawrence (Weinfeld) for a group known as Getways as well as a mysterious shadow figure lurking around the house.
Thoughts on Awaken the Shadowman
Characters – Adam Morris is a hard-working family man, he has a hands-on job where he family struggle to make ends meet. He must put his past behind him to return home but now must put his family’s safety first. Jake is the brother of Adam that still lives in the same home town, he calls Adam back but you can sense the issues between the two as they try to bond once more. Evette is the estranged mother of the brothers, she has been involved in suicide attempts but now has disappeared. Beth is the wife (I think) of Adam that spends most of the film caring for the baby and being stalked around the house.
Performance – James Zimbardi does a good job in the leading role, we believe his characters struggle through the film, Skyler Caleb on the other hand does seem to struggle with his character, never getting normal or menacing believable through the film, Jean Smart is the biggest name in the movie but is mostly talk about her characters whereabouts.
Story – Man return home to find out things are not what they seem, that is the core of the story, we get the investigation into what has changed in this town and this offers a few twists and turns along the way as we learn just what is happening, this also does enough to surprise us by the end of the film too.
Horror/Mystery – The horror only comes into moments but they are effective with the Shadowman lurking in the shadows, like he should be. The mystery comes from Adam needing to figure out what is going on.
Settings – The settings bring us to a home town for Adam which works because he feels like he knows the location but when it is your neighbours who have changed since you were last there it adds horror.
Special Effects – The effects are used well only appearing when showing us the shadowman himself, that does feel creepy and original effects.
Scene of the Movie – The first image of the Shadowman.
I always get annoyed by one thing in a movie, this is that moment – I would say the opening sequences gives slightly too much away.
Final Thoughts – This is a good horror movie that does leave us with a shocking ending.
Overall: Good horror movie for late night tv.
Rating