Movie review: The Damned (Gallows Hill)

Their car washed off the road during a flash flood, a family finds shelter in a nearby home that used to be an Inn. But when they get nosey and ignore the owner's rules they find a terrible secret is being hidden.

Peter Facinelli (David), Sophia Myles (Lauren), Nathalia Ramos (Jill), Carolina Guerra (Gina), Sebastian Martinez (Ramon), Gustavo Angarita (Felipe), Julieta Salazar (Ana Maria), Tatiana Renteria (Marcela).

The Damned begins well enough with some character introduction and development along with plot setup. Once the family begins nosing around the Inn, things get more interesting when they release a young girl from a locked box in the basement, not realizing she is an ancient evil spirit. This ratchets up the pace and suspense nicely through to a fairly well done ending with some BOO moments and spooky events along the way.

Acting was reasonably well done with Facinelli and Myles putting forth decent performances. Ramos, Guerra, and the remainder of the supporting cast did fairly well with good delivery and apparent comfort.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were pretty good though dark scenes in the basement, and around the box, were difficult. Physical effects and stunt work were mild but nicely done with good attention to detail. CGI creature effects were very nice, delivering a spooky effect without driving the film. Dialogue was challenging with heavy accents and subtitles throughout. Sound and soundtrack were both good.

The Damned ends up being a fairly well done horror flick with a nice balance between visual, physical, and psychological horror. Though not an entirely original plot, horror fans should enjoy this one.

With mild nudity, foul language, blood, violence, and disturbing images this should be fine for mature teens and above.

Released: 2013
Reviewed: 1.4.15
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Horror Movies, Supernatural Horror Movies

copyright ©2015 Dave Riedel

Remember to click on Subscribe and leave comments!